Four more bodies recovered after IAF plane crashed in Himachal 56 years ago

Srinagar, Oct 1: The Indian army has recovered four more bodies from the accident site in Himachal Pradesh. The accident took place 56-years ago after an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane with 102 people on board crashed in the Rohtang Pass.

After taking off from Chandigarh on February 7, 1968, the AN-12 aircraft went missing.

The aircraft crashed as it faced severe weather near the Rohtang Pass and for decades, the wreckage and the remains of the victims were lost in the icy terrain, India Today reported.

Led by the Dogra Scouts in collaboration with the representatives of Tiranga Mountain Rescueis part of the Chandra Bhaga Mountain Expedition under Indian army's search and rescue mission.

The wreckage was first discovered by mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering in 2003, followed by multiple expeditions over the years by the Indian army.

Given the treacherous conditions and unforgiving terrain, only five bodies were recovered from the spot till 2019.

Now, the Chandra Bhaga Mountain Expedition has recovered four additional bodies, taking the total number to nine.

Out of the four recovered bodies, three have been identified.

While Malkhan Singh (Pioneer), was identified by a voucher found in his pocket, Sepoy Narayan Singh (Army Medical Corps) was identified by his paybook found on his person.

Similarly, Craftsman Thomas Charan from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) was also identified with further confirmation through his paybook.

While the fourth victim is yet to be identified, the army found details of the person's family and has informed them of the developed.

The search expedition is scheduled to continue till October 10, the Army said.