Search Operations Continue For Missing IAF Aircraft Over Bay Of Bengal, But No Progress Yet
The joint teams of the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are continuing their search and rescue operations for the missing AN-32 aircraft in the Bay of Bengal. They have been on the mission since Friday and all through the night after the flight went missing. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is also set to reach Chennai to oversee the operations.
The joint teams of the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are continuing their search and rescue operations for the missing AN-32 aircraft in the Bay of Bengal.
AFP/ Representative Image
They had been on the mission since Friday and all through the night after the flight went missing.
#SAROps 18 Naval & ICG ships (+1sm) deployed with various aircraft incl P8I, C130 & Dorniers to locate missing AN 32 @SpokespersonMoD
¡ª SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) July 23, 2016
Ships deployed for the search include Shivalik-class stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, guided-missile destroyers INS Rajput and Ranvijay, corvettes Kamorta, Kirch, Karmuk, Kora, Kuthar, fleet tankers INS Shakti and INS Jyoti, amphibious warfare vessel INS Gharial and patrol vessel INS Sukanya, the Indian Navy said. Four Coast Guard ships are also involved in the operations.
#SAROps Total number if ships deployed by IN& ICG now 17 (12+5). Total Ac on search mission >6. Search to continue 24x7
¡ª SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) July 22, 2016
Despite the extensive search there has been no progress in locating the ill-fated flight so far.
With more than a day since the plane went off the radars, the possibility of finding survivors are increasingly becoming bleak with every passing hour.
My sand art with message #PrayerforIAFIN32 , praying for the safety of lost "Indian Air Force AN-32" aircraft. pic.twitter.com/sr5ENahcLo
¡ª Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 22, 2016
Praying for the pax & crew of the IAF An32 missing around Port Blair. Hope all remain safe and return unharmed, fingers crossed!
¡ª sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 22, 2016
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is also set to reach Chennai to oversee the operations.
Efforts on to trace IAF AN 32 aircraft and our Service personnel on board.
¡ª Manohar Parrikar (@manoharparrikar) July 22, 2016
The Russian-origin Antonov-32 plane disappeared about 280 km off the coast of Chennai with 29 passengers and crew members on-board on Friday while enroute to Port Blair in the Andamans. The last contact the pilots had with the ground staff was just 15-20 minutes into the flight.
AFP
According to the Air Force the aircraft had developed some technical snags earlier this month despite undergoing a life-extension, overhaul and upgrade refit just as recently as September last year.
However they insist the the snags were minor in nature.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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