Airdrop mountaineer reaches at cruise sites

Air Dropped Mountaineers Reache Wreckage Site near Gatte Village in Siang District: Aalo 12June: – Hectic activities are going on after spotting the wreckage of missing AN-32 Transport aircraft near Gatte village, of Siang District in Arunachal Pradesh of eastern part of Pari mountain ridge at an elevation of 11500 ft. Team comprising of Air Marshal Sandeep Singh SASO EAC, Group Captain, Vivek Ahluwallia and Wing Commander Dheraj Kumar Accompanied by Er. Somar Potom, Deputy Director, APEDA, Aalo as representative of West Siang district administration using MI-17 Chopper. The breakthrough was made possible when Potom flew to Payum, Gasheng and Gatte villages for gathering information and clues of the missing plane. Search Team then headed to the suspected area after final interrogation and getting clues from few witnesses by Sandeep and Potom at Payum. The site is inaccessible and very high on the vertical mountain cliff. It will take time to retrieve the dead bodies/survivors if any and operation will depend on the weather condition as these mountains are covered by cloud during six summer months. More than 8 choppers, both from IAF and Indian Army took part in the search operation taking advantage of bright sunny days after few days of deceptive clumsy weather. Apart from AN- 32 from IAF and Boing Recon aircraft from navy, Sukoi 30 of IAF also were pressed into service for search operation. The Indian Army has put up all out efforts in the agonizing search and rescue operation under the command of Col. Mandeep Singh, 11 Bihar Regiment based at Kaying under the overall guidance of Brigadier C. Dayalan. The Siang and Shi-Yomi administration too did their best to carry out massive ground operation and most of them are yet to return from the jungle. Today the helicopters dropped mountaineers from Air force, Army and civil on a suitable location near the wreckage site braving against fluctuating weather condition there to do the ground works with specific instructions. They have reached the wreckage site but climbing deep down the wreckage site and lifting dead bodies and survivors if any, would take time. Rest of the news follows in the in the evening.