Four Bodies Recovered 56 Years After Air Force Plane Crashed In Himachal

Bodies of four men from the Dhaka glacier area at a height of almost 16,000 feet were recovered 56 years after an Indian Air Force AN-12 transport plane carrying 102 personnel, including four crew members, crashed on the Rohtang Pass. The plane crashed in the mountainous area of ​​​​Lahaul Valley due to bad weather, Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary said.

Lahaul-Spiti: Fifty-six years after an Indian Air Force AN-12 transport plane carrying 102 personnel, including four crew members, crashed on the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, frozen bodies of four soldiers of the Indian Army were recovered from the wreckage in India’s longest-running search and recovery operation.

Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary said that information about this discovery was received from the army expedition team through satellite phone.

"The team was conducting a mountaineering expedition in Batal near CB-13 (Chandrabhaga-13 peak), a remote and difficult area of ​​​​Lahaul-Spiti. According to the information received through satellite communication, four bodies have been found. Based on preliminary investigation, it is believed that these bodies may be related to the 1968 Indian Air Force AN-12 plane crash." Chaudhury said.

This accident is one of the most tragic incidents in Indian military aviation history, Chaudhury said. "The plane crashed in the mountainous area of ​​​​Lahaul Valley due to bad weather. Despite several search operations over the years, many bodies and debris of this accident were lost in the snowy and high altitude area," he added.

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh | SP Lahaul-Spiti, Mayank Choudhary says, " around 56 years ago, in 1968, an iaf aircraft an-12 carrying 102 soldiers had crashed at chandrabhaga 13 near dhaka glacier. in the past also, constant efforts have been made to recover bodies from this crash.… pic.twitter.com/aak9KAVHE5

— ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2024

In 2018, a body of a soldier was found at the Dhaka Glacier Base Camp located at an altitude of 6,200 meters.

"This discovery was made by a team of mountaineers at that time, who were on a cleaning expedition on Chandrabhaga-13 peak. The recent recovery of these bodies of four soldiers 56 years after the accident is an important step towards honoring the memory of those martyrs and giving solace to their families," Chaudhury said. The bodies of the soldiers will be brought to Losar for identification and other formalities.

The SP said that the bodies of the soldiers are being sent to Losar for other formalities. "The area where the debris and bodies have been found is located at a high altitude, making it very challenging to reach there and conduct a search operation. This recovery is a proof of the perseverance and expertise of the army's mountaineering team," he added.