Itanagar: Over a week after an AN-32 went missing from Arunachal Pradesh on June 3, the wreckage of the ill-fated aircraft was spotted 16 km north of Lipo and northeast of Tato, at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft, by an Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the region on Tuesday, said Indian Air Force (IAF) sources.
After having located the crash site, a team comprising personnel from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and civil mountaineers have been airlifted to a location close to the crash site.
According to latest reports, 15 mountaineers have been inducted by Mi-17s and ALH with all equipment at the crash site. These include nine from IAF mountaineering team, four from Army and two civilian mountaineers.
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“Some have reached the crash site and some are still tracking. Further information will be available after their ‘de-induction’,” said IAF sources.
The aircraft had gone missing on June 3 with 13 people, including eight crew members and five passengers, on board. The Antonov AN-32 was headed to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, after taking off from Jorhat, Assam.
The aircraft took off at 12:25 pm and lost contact with the ground stations around 1 pm. Previously, many attempts of search and rescue operations were made by Indian Army, India Air Force and Navy along with local administration, but to no avail.
