AN-32 Crash: Bad Weather Hampers Operation To Retrieve Bodies - Eastern Mirror
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AN-32 crash: Bad weather hampers operation to retrieve bodies

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By IANS Updated: Jun 15, 2019 11:48 pm
2019 6img15 Jun 2019 PTI6 15 2019 000184B
In this photo released by Indian Air Force, is seen the crash site from where the mortal remains and other material evidences are being picked up to the crash of IAF AN-32 carrier aircraft, that took off from Air Force Station, Jorhat Assam for Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground on June 3. (PTI)

Itanagar, June 15 (IANS): A search operation to retrieve the mortal remains of six of the 13 people who were killed in the AN-32 crash on June 3 were hampered due to inclement weather in the area, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Saturday.

The first seven bodies were recovered on Thursday.

The IAF said that Cheetah and ALH helicopters have been put on stand-by to commence the operations once the weather improves.

“At present, there are low clouds associated with rain in the area. The IAF is making all efforts to retrieve the mortal remains of the deceased air-warriors. IAF personnel are in constant contact with the families of these air-warriors and are being updated regularly. They are also being explained about the challenges about the weather,” Wing Commander Puneet Chadha said in a statement.

On Friday, the search teams recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the aircraft that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh.

A team of 16 mountaineers from the IAF and the Indian Army along with five civilian mountaineers are combing the site of crash 16 km north of Lipo, northeast of Tato under West Siang district, at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet.

The AN-32 took off on June 3 from the Jorhat airbase for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Arunachal’s Shi-Yomi district bordering China, but lost contact with the ground agencies within 35 minutes.

After the disappearance of the aircraft, the IAF commenced extensive search operations under the direct supervision of the Eastern Air Command headquarters at Shillong.

Will go into AN-32 aircraft crash, ensure it does not happen again — IAF chief

The Indian Air Force will ascertain the cause of the recent crash of AN-32 aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh and ensure such accidents do not recur, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said Saturday.

His comments come days after the wreckage of the IAF aircraft was found in a remote area in Arunachal Pradesh more than a week after it went missing with 13 people on board.

“We have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder…We will go into the detail (to ascertain) as to what happened and how do we make sure that it does not happen again,” he told reporters on the sidelines of Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy in Dundigal near here.

He was responding to a query on the accident involving the AN-32 transport aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh, which left 13 people dead.

“In Arunachal Pradesh, the terrain is very treacherous and most of the time, it is cloudy…When you are flying in that terrain, in that cloudy weather, there have been many, not only Air Force, even otherwise, Pawan Hans and all, accidents, because of controlled flight into terrain,” he claimed.

6091
By IANS Updated: Jun 15, 2019 11:48:13 pm
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