IAF recovers remains of Arunachal An-32 crash victims

New Delhi:  Eighteen days after its An-32 transport aircraft went down in Arunachal Pradesh, the IAF on Thursday recovered six bodies and seven mortal remains of the air warriors from the crash site.

According to officials, the IAF has made all arrangements to airlift the bodies and mortal remains of the personnel by helicopters from the remote crash site, which was accessed after painstaking operations, constrained by inclement weather and hostile terrain.

The rescue team of 15 comprising expert climbers who were airlifted to the site where the wreckage was located on June 11 – eight days after the crash – by helicopters and retrieved the bodies. Efforts are now being made to airlift them to Jorhat from where they will be sent to the native places.

The aircraft, which 13 persons on board, had gone missing on June 3 while on its way to Mechuka advanced landing ground in Shi-Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China on an air logistics sortie from Jorhat.

On June 8, the IAF had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for any information leading to the location of the missing aircraft. The wreckage of the transporter was finally spotted by a Mi-17 helicopter and a ground team comprising Garud commandos of the IAF, Special Forces of the Indian Army, civilian porters and hunters reached the accident site on foot.

The rescue team recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) — which could give vital clues about the possible reasons for the crash — from the site.

 Published on: June 20, 2019 at 21:20 IST

IANS