AN-32 crash: Six bodies airlifted to West Siang in Arunachal, likely to be taken to Assam

Bodies of six Air Force personnel, who died in the AN-32 aircraft crash, have been airlifted from the site of the accident in the Pari mountain range to Aalo in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, a senior official said.

The team, which had been searching for plane wreckage and remains of those on board the Russian-made aircraft, on Wednesday, retrieved the six bodies along with the mortal remains of seven others from the crash site near Siang district.

According to Siang deputy commissioner Rajiv Takuk, the bodies were airlifted to Aalo on Wednesday around 5pm, while the process to bring the remains of seven others was still underway.

"The six bodies will be likely taken to IAF airbase at Jorhat in Assam on Thursday," Takuk said, adding that lack of network in the mountains made communication difficult from the crash site.

Last week, the IAF had announced that cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder - commonly known as the black box - have been recovered from the crash site.

As the weather condition has improved in the hills, the IAF personnel and Army officers will be able to carry out their operation without disruption, Takuk hoped.

"Getting updates from the site of operation is a cumbersome task with no road connectivity or mobile network in the region, but the improved weather condition would aid the IAF officers to carry out the remaining operation without much disruption," he added.

The aircraft, with 13 members on board, went missing on June 3, about 30 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka in Arunachal Pradesh.