Indian air force plane disappears near Chinese border

An Indian air force plane has disappeared near India's northeastern border with China with 13 people on board.

Officials say the plane was scheduled to land at 1:30 p.m. Monday at a high-altitude airstrip in Mechuka, a small town in the state of Arunachal Pradesh about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the India-China border.

Arunachal Pradesh administrator Swatika Sachan says the plane last had contact with the ground at 1 p.m.

The identities of the eight crew members and other passengers were not immediately known.

A search operation comprising two air force planes and Indian army soldiers was underway.