The wreckage of the missing AN-32 was located by a Mi-17 helicopter on 11 Jun 19 , following which the team of 15 mountaineers was dropped near the crash site the very next day

GUWAHATI: After five days of failed attempts to airlift the mortal remains of the 13 IAF personnel of the crashed AN-32 due to bad weather, authorities have dispatched a team of local porters to bring back the bodies on foot. 

Leading the porters are a group of hunters, who are familiar with the area’s difficult terrain with Special Forces commandos of the Army giving company. 

“The IAF has actively coordinated with state administration at all levels. A ground team comprising Garud commandos of the IAF, special forces of Indian Army, civilian porters and hunters is already on its way to the accident site on foot. The first element of this trekking party is likely to reach the site late on tomorrow,” defence PRO Wg Cmdr Ratnakar Singh said. 

He added, “No efforts are being spared by IAF personnel to ensure that the mortal remains of their brothers in arms are retrieved at the earliest. The Army and Arunachal Pradesh state administration have all along have provided unflinching support.” 

The wreckage of the missing AN-32 was located by a Mi-17 helicopter on 11 Jun 19 , following which the team of 15 mountaineers was dropped near the crash site the very next day .Later ,three more mountaineers joined the rescue team .The mortal remains of of Air warriors , FDR and CVR were recovered at the site. 

After the transport aircraft from Jorhat with the 13 men on board and carrying logistic supplies for the Army to Mechuka advanced landing ground on June 3, a rescue team that reached the crash site in the heavily forested mountainous terrain of Siang district 10 days later found no survivors. 

The IAF has identified those on board the aircraft as 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. 

After days of futile exercise to locate the crash, on June 11, the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted 16 km North of Lipo, northeast of Tato, in Arunachal Pradesh at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet from an IAF Mi-17 helicopter that had local mountaineers. 

On June 14 the recovery team found the cockpit voice and flight data recorders but inclement weather has hit the process of retrieving the 13 bodies. 

The IAF has flown around 200 sorties towards the AN-32 search and recovery operations for recovering the remains of its personnel for which eight helicopters have been deployed. 

“Helicopters, including Mi-17s, Cheetah and ALH have been unable to approach the site during the last three days, because of inclement weather in the valleys and cloud cover over the crash site. Retrieval operations require the steep mountain sides to be visible for the helicopters to safely hover close to the crash site and for operating crew to be able to see the personnel on the ground,” the PRO said.