NEW DELHI: The families of the air-warriors aboard the missing Air Force AN-32 aircraft met the Defence Minister on Thursday who apprised them about all the efforts being taken for the Search and Rescue of the missing aircraft.
Sources informed that, "The family members went to Rajnath Singh's residence and met him. The Minister apprised the family members of all the efforts."
Meanwhile, the forces have scaled up the efforts with more aircraft and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to intensify the mission.
Air Force informed that it has added two more MI-17 helicopters and Army has brought in one additional Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and its UAV to intensify the SAR Mission.
Thus, the forces by now have deployed a total of four Mi-17 helicopters,3 ALH (2 of Army and 1 of IAF), two Su-30 MKI fighters with powerful radars, one C-130 and one Army UAV.
Additionally, 2 Cheetah helicopters have also reached on Thursday evening to add to the SAR effort and will join the ops from Friday onwards.
Assets are in addition to the ground party of Army, ITBP, local police and other state agencies which are also continuing with the rescue since day one.
In between Navy’s P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance and the ISRO satellites also had chipped in but this entire have yet been able to locate the hapless AN32 Transport aircraft missing since June 3. Rain and bad weather have been also playing spoilsport.
The extensive day and night SAR mission is on to locate the transport aircraft AN32 of Air Force, which went missing on 3rd June. The area of search and combing involves Along, Payum and Tato in the Arunachal Pradesh.
The Russian-made aircraft took off from Jorhat on Monday at 12.27 pm for the Mechuka advance landing ground. Its last contact with the ground control was at 1 pm. A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft.
(With online desk inputs)