AN-32 crash: Terrain, rain hamper recovery effort

Bad weather has affected the pace of recovery of the mortal remains of the 13 Indian Air Force personnel in Arunachal Pradesh. The wreckage site of the crashed Antonov-32 (AN-32) military transport aircraft is ensconced in a thickly forested area on mountainous terrain.

"Inclement weather condition with a continuous downpour, besides hostile terrain, continue to hamper efforts to retrieving the bodies," said IAF Spokesperson Ratnakar Singh said. Rajeev Takuk, deputy commissioner of Siang District added that the crash site is wedged in a gorge. Three more local mountaineers were air-dropped to help the 15-member team.

Singh said the damage to the black box, which can help decipher the reason for the crash, can only be assessed at the air base. "If it is intact, retrieving data will not be a problem," said an IAF officer.