Multiple aircraft and ships of the IAF, Navy and Coast Guard were dispatched to look for the aircraft, without success.
Multiple aircraft and ships of the IAF, Navy and Coast Guard were dispatched to look for the aircraft, without success.
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force on Thursday told the families of those aboard the missing AN-32 aircraft that the passengers have been presumed dead.
According to reports, search operations have ended and there is no hope of finding survivors.
-"The Court of Inquiry, upon very careful scrutiny of the circumstantial evidence available and in light of extensive search and rescue operations carried out, has concluded that it is unlikely that the missing personnel on board the ill-fated aircraft would have survived the accident. It is with a feeling of profound sadness that the Court of Inquiry has recommended that your son/daughter be presumed to have been fatally injured,-" read the letter from Air Force to the families of those who were on the aircraft when it disappeared.
There were 29 people on the AN-32 IAF plane that took off in rough weather from Tambaram air base near Chennai for Port Blair on July 22, and then disappeared a short while later over the Bay of Bengal without a distress signal.
Multiple aircraft and ships of the IAF, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard were dispatched to look for the aircraft, but no leads were found.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had personally overseen the operation. Families of the victims had repeatedly been contacting IAF officials hoping to get some information on the missing aircraft. But with the IAF’s announcement on Thursday, there is no hope for any of them.
(This article first appeared in Deccan Chronicle)
