56 years after IAF plane crash, four bodies found

Fifty-six years after an Indian Air Force plane crashed north of the 13,000-ft-high Rohtang Pass, a team of mountaineers has found four bodies of soldiers who died in that crash.

The mission, led by the Dogra Scouts of Indian Army in collaboration with representatives of Tiranga Mountain Rescue, is part of the larger Chandra Bhaga Mountain Expedition. The joint team recovered the remains of four more individuals from the site, marking a significant success in one of India's longest-running search and recovery operation.

The search is part of the 'Chandra Bhaga Expedition' that is on from September 25 to October 10.

An IAF AN-12 aircraft, which took off from Chandigarh on February 7, 1968, with 102 passengers, went missing near the Rohtang Pass, north of Manali in Himachal Pradesh. For decades, the wreckage and remains of the victims remained lost in the icy terrain. It was only in 2003 when mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering discovered the wreckage.

Over the years, expeditions were launched by the Indian Army, led by Dogra Scouts in 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2019. In the past expeditions, only five bodies were recovered till 2019. Official sources said mountaineers have now found three fully intact bodies and remains of a fourth one from the mountains.

Among the bodies found are those of Malkhan Singh, Sepoy Narayan Singh and craftsman Thomas Charan. Malkhan was identified by a voucher found in his pocket. His identity was confirmed with the help of documents obtained from Pioneer Records Office.

Narayan Singh, a sepoy from the Army Medical Corps, was identified by his paybook found on his person. Singh hailed from Kolpadi village, Chamoli tehsil in Garhwal, Uttarakhand. The body of craftsman Thomas Charan was confirmed through his paybook. He hailed from Elanthoor in Kerala.