Rescue Operation On To Retrieve Bodies at AN-32 Crash Site

Guwahati, June 15, 2019:

Rescue efforts has commenced to retrieve the mortal remains of the defence personnel who died on duty following AN-32 aircraft crash.

However, the progress has got hampered due to inclement weather in the area. Cheetah & ALH Helicopters are on standby and are waiting to commence operations once the weather improves.

At present there are low clouds associated with rain in the area.  IAF is making all efforts to retrieve the mortal remains of the deceased air-warriors.

IAF mountaineers, Army Special Forces personnel and local mountaineers were dropped off at the closest possible location to the crash site and have reached the AN-31 aircraft crash site in Arunachal Pradesh.

The mortal remains and other material evidence will be picked up by helicopters and brought back to Jorhat in stages. The weather continues to be marginal and is likely to affect the pace of recovery operations. The recovery team is braving the treacherous terrain and inclement weather in order to bring back the mortal remains as soon as possible.

The IAF has flown around 200 sorties towards the AN-32 search and recovery operations and deployed eight helicopters for the purpose.

The next of kins of all personnel on board had been informed of the crash and the subsequent search operations undertaken by the IAF.

The rescue mission for all the bodies of ‘Air Warriors’ on board AN-32 is still on. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) have been recovered from the crash site on Friday.

All 13 persons on board the ill-fated AN-32 transport aircraft of Indian Air Force, which went missing on June 3, died in the crash.

The wreckage was found in Payum Circle of Siang district. It was spotted by a Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force, at a height of around 12,000 feet.

The plane was travelling from Jorhat in Assam to a remote military landing strip in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh when it vanished from the radar around 1 pm on June 3.

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