4 bodies recovered from Air Force plane in Himachal that crashed 56 years ago

The IAF aircraft, carrying 102 passengers, had gone missing on February 7, 1968, after taking off from Chandigarh and encountering severe weather conditions near the Rohtang Pass.

In Short

• Search led by Dogra Scouts and Tiranga Mountain Rescue
• IAF aircraft with 102 passengers went missing in 1968
• Expedition to continue till October 10

The Indian Army has managed to recover four more bodies from the Indian Air Force AN-12 aircraft which crashed on Rohtang Pass in 1968, during the Chandrabhaga Mountain Expedition in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

The search and rescue mission, led by the Dogra Scouts of the Indian Army, in collaboration with representatives of Tiranga Mountain Rescue, is part of the larger Chandra Bhaga Mountain Expedition.

The IAF aircraft, carrying 102 passengers, had gone missing on February 7, 1968, after taking off from Chandigarh and encountering severe weather conditions near the Rohtang Pass. For decades, the wreckage and remains of the victims were lost in the icy terrains.

Mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering discovered the wreckage in 2003, sparking multiple expeditions over the years by the Indian Army, especially the Dogra Scouts, who have been at the forefront of search missions in 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2019.

Despite the treacherous conditions and unforgiving terrain, only five bodies were recovered from the spot till 2019. Now, the Chandra Bhaga Mountain Expedition has now recovered four additional bodies, taking the total number of bodies discovered from the region to nine.

Out of the four recovered bodies, three have been identified. One of the deceased was identified as Malkhan Singh (Pioneer), and was identified by a voucher found in his pocket.

Another was identified as Sepoy Narayan Singh (Army Medical Corps), and was identified by his paybook found on his person. Similarly, another deceased was identified as Craftsman Thomas Charan from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), with further confirmation through his paybook.

While the four deceased was not identified, the Army found details of the next of kin and informed his wife, Parvati Devi, and father, Netram about it.

The search operation would continue, as the expedition would continue till October 10, the Army said.