Defence Minister Rajnath pays tribute to IAF personnel killed in AN-32 crash

The IAF on Thursday completed the task of retrieving bodies of all its 13 personnel from the crash site of its AN-32 aircraft in the Pari mountains in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh and flew them to Jorhat airport in Assam.

New Delhi:Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday paid tributes to five of the 13 air-warriors, who lost their lives in the AN-32 crash in Arunachal Pradesh on June 3. Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa was also present at the ceremony held at the Palam Technical area here. On Thursday, Air Marshal R.D. Mathur, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, paid tributes to the Air Force personnel at a wreath-laying ceremony in Jorhat. The IAF on Thursday completed the task of retrieving bodies of all its 13 personnel from the crash site of its AN-32 aircraft in the Pari mountains in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh and flew them to Jorhat airport in Assam. While six bodies were retrieved Wednesday from the crash site, the remains of seven others were recovered Thursday. All 13 personnel aboard the Russian-made AN-32 had perished in the crash on June 3 about 30 minutes after the aircraft took off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka in Arunachal Pradesh.

Palam Airport, Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays homage to the 13 personnel who lost their life in IAF An-32 crash in Arunachal Pradesh. The plane had gone missing on June 3. pic.twitter.com/RRtBf1U7tU

— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2019

The plane had simply gone missing and remained traceless till June 11, when its wreckage was located in the Pari Mountains. The Indian Air Force had been making efforts to retrieve the bodies from the crash site since then but the inclement weather and difficult terrain had been making the recovery difficult. "The mortal remains of the 13 air-warriors have been recovered and sent to the Air Force Station, Jorhat," said IAF in a statement. It said the IAF had been coordinating with the state administration at all levels and a ground team comprising its Garud commandos, the Indian Army's special forces personnel, civilian porters and hunters reached the crash site late Wednesday.