UP: Mortal remains of soldier, killed in 1968 IAF plane crash, brought to his native village in Saharanpur

Saharanpur, (UP) Oct 02: The mortal remains of Sepoy Malkhan Singh, who was killed in the Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-12 aircraft crash near Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh in 1968, were brought to his native village in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Wednesday.

A large number of people gathered to pay their last respects to the soldier.

On September 30, an Indian Army expedition recovered the mortal remains of four soldiers from the wreckage of the AN-12 aircraft that crashed in the Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh more than five decades ago.

The ill-fated aircraft, belonging to the Indian Air Force, was carrying 102 Army personnel on board and was on a routine flight from Chandigarh to Leh when it met with the tragic accident in 1968.

The recent discovery is part of a long, painstaking effort to recover the remains of those who perished in one of the most tragic accidents in Indian military aviation history.

The AN-12 aircraft, which took off from Chandigarh, was en route to Leh when it encountered severe weather conditions and crashed into the mountainous terrain of the Lahaul valley. Despite repeated search operations over the years, many of the bodies and debris remained lost in the high-altitude, snow-covered region.

In 2018, remains of the aircraft and one soldier's body were discovered at the Dhaka glacier base camp, located at an altitude of 6,200 metres. This recovery was made by a team of mountaineers who were part of a clean-up expedition to the Chandrabhaga-13 peak, initiated on July 1, 2018.

The latest discovery has brought renewed attention to the 1968 crash, with many hoping that the recovery of these soldiers' remains will eventually lead to the location of others still missing from the accident.

The expedition is expected to continue its search in the area for further remains and additional clues about the crash that may still be hidden in the treacherous terrain.