NEW DELHI: An Military expedition has now recovered 4 extra our bodies from the ill-fated Antonov-12 army transport plane that crashed close to the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh in 1968, marking a major growth in certainly one of India’s longest operating search and restoration operations.
The four-engine turboprop AN-12 plane of the IAF, which had taken off from Chandigarh with 102 passengers on Feb 7, 1968, had crashed after encountering extreme climate situations.For many years, the plane wreckage and stays of the victims remained misplaced within the icy terrain.
It was solely in 2003 that mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering found the wreckage, which in flip led to a number of expeditions by the Military, particularly the Dogra Scouts, who had been on the forefront of the search missions in 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2019. Solely 5 our bodies had been recovered by 2019 as a result of treacherous situations and unforgiving terrain across the crash website.
Now one other mission led by the Dogra Scouts, in collaboration with representatives of the Tiranga Mountain Rescue, as a part of the bigger Chandra Bhaga expedition has recovered three intact our bodies and the stays of a fourth from the snowbound mountains, an Military officer mentioned on Monday.
With the assistance of paperwork discovered on their our bodies, three of the army personnel have been recognized as Sepoys Narayan Singh (Military Medical Corps), Malkhan Singh (Pioneer Corps) and Thomas Charan (Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers). “Whereas paperwork recovered from the physique of the fourth particular person didn’t determine him, particulars of his subsequent of kin had been discovered. Additional inquiries are in progress,” the officer mentioned.
“The Chandra Bhaga expedition has as soon as once more demonstrated the Military’s relentless willpower to convey closure to households, even after half a century. The Dogra Scouts, famend for his or her experience in high-altitude operations, have led this mission with exemplary braveness, battling via excessive climate situations and hostile terrain to recuperate the stays of their fallen comrades,” he mentioned.
“The restoration of those our bodies convey solace to the households who’ve been ready for many years, hoping for solutions and the return of their family members. The seek for the mortal stays of different passengers is continuous because the expedition is until Oct 10,” he added.
