Hopes of tracing the missing Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft, which went missing with 29 on board on 22 July, has brightened with two government ships zeroing in on six possible locations where the wreckage of the plane could be found.
Sagar Nidhi, a ship belonging to Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), a unit of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, on Monday conducted a search using Remotely Operable and Submersible, equipment which can go up to to a depth of 6000 metres.
The device, which also has a camera fitted on it, went down to 2500 metres in the Bay of Bengal, but could not go further as there was a technical snag.
INCOIS has now set a target of 25-30 September to finish the task.
Earlier, Sagar Nidhi and Sagar Sagar Ratna, belonging to the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Mines, did an exhaustive mapping of nearly 25,000 sq kms using multibeam echo-sound technology and acoustic waves and spotted some “high reflectivity” in the deep sea. This is an indication of the wreckage of the plane.
They zeroed down on six location where the aircraft could have possibly crashed.
Shenoi said whether the objects are the wreckage of the missing AN-32 can only be verified with the help of RO submersible.
On 22 July, IAF’s AN 32 transport plane went missing with 29 people on board, including six crew members, while it was on its way from near Chennai to Port Blair, home to tri-service command.
Following this, the Air Force, Navy and the Coast Guard launched a massive search and rescue operation. Despite several attempts, there was little success in tracing the aircraft.
Also Read: Missing AN-32 Aircraft: 29 on Board Presumed Dead, Declares IAF
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