All On Board Ill-Fated AN-32 Dead: Indian Air Force (IAF)

Itanagar: All 13 people on board the AN-32 aircraft which crashed in Arunachal Pradesh are dead, the IAF said after a team of rescuers searched the wreckage of the plane in a heavily forested mountainous terrain on Thursday. An IAF official said there were no survivors from the crash of the AN-32 aircraft.

“IAF Pays tribute to the brave Air-warriors who lost their life during the #An32 crash on 03 Jun 2019 and stands by with the families of the victims. May their soul rest in peace,” an Indian Air Force (IAF) spokesperson tweeted. Those who died in the crash are Wing Commander GM Charles, Squadron Leader H Vinod, Flight Lieutenants LR Thapa, MK Garg, Ashish Tanwar and Sumit Mohanty, Warrant officer KK Mishra, Sergeant Anoop Kumar, Corporal Sherin, LAC (leading aircraft man) SK Singh, LAC Pankaj, and non combatants Rajesh Kumar and Putali.

The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft was going from Jorhat in Assam to Mechuka advanced landing ground near the border with China on June 3 when it lost contact around half-an-hour after taking off.

The wreckage of the plane was spotted by an IAF chopper on Tuesday at a height of 12,000 ft near Gatte village on the border of Siang and Shi-Yomi districts, after eight days of a massive search operation involving a fleet of aircraft and choppers as well as ground forces. A 15-member team of rescuers were sent look for survivors in the accident Wednesday and eight of them reached the crash site on Thursday morning, an IAF official said.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members of the brave air warriors of the unfortunate IAF AN 32 aircraft, which crashed on June 3 last in the mountains of Siang and Shi-Yomi districts. The slightest hope of survivors of the ill fate aircraft ended on Thursday when the mountaineers team that were airdropped to the ground zero to ascertain the actual fact, confirmed of no survivors. In his condolence message, Khandu said, “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives of our brave Air Warriors who attained martyrdom in the line of their duties.”

“While I express my solidarity to the Indian Air Force for loss of their men and officers, I call them true patriot as they laid their lives for the cause of our motherland. I pay my rich tribute to the brave soldiers and true sons of the soil. In this hour of grief, I express my heartfelt and sincere condolences to the bereaved family members” the Chief Minister added. Siang district Deputy Commissioner Rajeeb Takuk informed that there is no reports whether the dead bodies of the air warriors were retrieved from the crash site as no communication with the rescue team could be established.

Also Read: No Survivor In AN-32 Crash: Indian Air Force (IAF)