The Indian Air Force has undertaken a special airlift in Nepal to help relatives of 10 Nepalese soldiers, who lost their lives in the line of duty, pay homage at their post that was buried due to the deadly temblor.
A post of the Nepalese Army consisting of 10 army personnel close to the Langtang helipad was buried on April 25, when the 7.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal following which all of them were untraceable.
Although, a mission was carried on May 6 to retrieve the bodies, they could not be identified due to injuries and decomposition.
On May 23, a special airlift by an IAF Mi17 V5 helicopter was arranged for next of kin and close relatives of the deceased persons to visit the remains of the post and pay homage to the departed souls.
Fourteen relatives and two escorts were taken to Dhunche. From there, seven of them were flown to the place where the post was manned prior to the earthquake to pay homage, an official statement said.
The helicopters stayed there for around 15 minutes as tear-eyed relatives paid homage to their loved ones. They also brought back small belongings of the deceased.
They boarded the helicopter and were brought to Dhunche. Similarly, another seven people were taken to the same place and back. The limitation of taking seven persons at a time was due to the altitude of landing.
