Choppers begin rescue operation at AN-32 crash site

Mi-17s and Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) of the Indian Army have been deployed for the search and rescue operation of 13 personnel on board the Indian Air Force's AN-32.

This comes a day after the IAF managed to locate the wreckage of the plane 16 kilometres North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an altitude of 12,000 feet. The plane had been missing since June 3 after taking off from Jorhat air base in Assam to Menchuka advanced landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh with 13 persons on board.Parts of the aircraft were located 15-20 km north of the flight path of the aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh.

A massive operation was launched to locate the missing twin-engine turboprop craft, which had lost contact with ground control on June 3. The ISRO's radar imaging satellite and the Navy's long-range surveillance aircraft P8i were deployed for the search mission, apart from other sophisticated technology.

The AN-32 lost contact a little over half an hour after it took off from Jorhat in Assam shortly after noon for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Shi-Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Bad weather stalled aerial search operations for three days last week, but ground operations continued in the mountainous area.

On June 9, the Indian Air Force has also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for any information about the whereabouts of the aircraft.

Family members of the missing personnel have been put up in Assam so they can be kept informed of the search mission. Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, who has also stationed himself at Assam's Jorhat air base to review the operation, interacted with the families of the officers and airmen onboard the aircraft.

The IAF has over 100 AN-32s that play a critical role in equipping front line forces. India was the launch customer for the AN-32, which was bought from the former Soviet Union and built in Ukraine.

With ANI inputs