13 bodies, IAF aircraft's wreakage located

Guwahati/New Delhi: Indian Army and paramilitary rescue teams Wednesday recovered the wreckage of an Indian Air Force (IAF) cargo plane that went
missing Tuesday and the mangled remains of 13 defence officials killed in the crash in the northeast region, officials said.
A defence spokesperson said a search team of the army and the paramilitary spotted the wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft near Tato village in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China's Tibet region.
"The search team managed to get hold of the mangled remains of the 13 people on board the aircraft that crashed Tuesday evening," IAF spokesperson Wing Commander R. Sahu told IANS by telephone.
The cargo plane with 13 people on board went missing Tuesday afternoon after it took from Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh.
The site from where the wreckage was found is about 70 km from Mechuka and is located in hilly terrain.
"It would be too early to conclusively say whether the aircraft hit the hill or plunged down due to technical problems that led to the crash. Experts would try and retrieve the black box to know the details," the IAF official said.
Of the 13 people killed, seven were from the IAF and six army soldiers.
"There were two wing commanders and a squadron leader among the IAF personnel on board," Sahu said.
10/06/09 Economic Times

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Categories: Safety Jun 2009