look news india
Indian Air Force AN-12 plane crash: 56 years ago, on February 7, 1968, an Indian Air Force aircraft took off from Chandigarh for Leh carrying 98 passengers. The AN-12 aircraft was piloted by Flight Lieutenant Harkewal Singh and Squadron Leader Pran Nath Malhotra. Two crew members were also on board with him. When the weather deteriorated midway, the pilot decided to turn the plane back. But radio contact with the aircraft was lost over the Rohtang Pass. Since no debris was found, all 102 people on board were declared missing. The debris and remains of the bodies remained buried in the icy terrain for decades. Now after 56 years, remains of 4 dead bodies have been found in the mountains.
The wreck was discovered in 2003
In 2003, climbers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering discovered the wreckage of the plane. The climbers also found the remains of a body, identified as that of Constable Bailey Ram, who was on board the plane. After this, the Army and especially the Dogra Scouts conducted several search operations. Officials said that due to the remoteness and adverse conditions of the crash site, only five remains have been recovered as of 2019. 'Chandrabhaga Mountain Campaign' has now recovered four more bodies. Due to which the families of the deceased and the country have seen a ray of new hope.
One of the longest operations in India
This is one of the longest running search operations in India. Army officials said that these remains were found by a joint team of 'Dogra Scouts' and 'Tiranga Mountain Rescue' personnel of the Indian Army. The twin-engine transport aircraft disappeared after taking off from Chandigarh to Leh on 7 February 1968. There were 102 people on the boat. In an extraordinary turn of events, the ongoing search and rescue operation to recover the remains of the crew of the AN-12 aircraft that crashed at Rohtang Pass in 1968 has achieved significant success.
Which passenger's remains have been found?
Officials said the remains of three of the four bodies were those of Malkhan Singh, constable Narayan Singh and sculptor Thomas Charan. The person could not be identified from the documents recovered from the remaining remains. However, officials said details of his family members have been obtained. Thomas was a resident of Alanthur in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. He said that his mother Alima has been informed about this. The identity of Malkhan Singh has been confirmed with the help of documents obtained from official records. Singh, a soldier working in the Army Medical Corps, was identified through official documents.
