New Delhi:
As various agencies failed to trace missing AN-32 military aircraft even after six days, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for anyone providing credible information about the location of its Russian-origin transport aircraft.Â
The announcement was made by Air Marshal RD Mathur, AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command.
"Air Marshal RD Mathur, AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command, has announced a cash award of Rs 5 lakhs for the person(s) or group who provide credible information leading to finding of the missing AN-32 transport aircraft," Â IAF spokesman Ratnakar Singh said.Â
Wing Commander, Ratnakar Singh, Defence PRO, Shillong: Air Marshal RD Mathur, AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command, has announced a cash award of Rs 5 lakhs for the person(s) or group who provide credible information leading to finding of the missing AN-32 transport aircraft pic.twitter.com/MbgSvxNG3T
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2019
"IAF is using all its assets and taking help of Army, Arunachal Pradesh civil authorities and other national agencies to locate the missing AN-32 transport aircraft," Wing Commander, Ratnakar Singh added.Â
Finder may contact IAF on- 0378-3222164, 9436499477/9402077267/9402132477.
AN-32 aircraft, with eight crew members and five armed forces personnel onboard, went missing on Monday afternoon, around 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka, near the border with China.
According to reports, the plane went missing 33 minutes after it took off at 12.27 am.  Â
A statement issued by the IAF spokesman said the search team has been trying to trace the aircraft with advanced technology and sensors sourced from different agencies, including Isro satellites.  Â
"The inhospitable terrain and thick vegetation is affecting the mission. Add to that, inclement weather and low visibility throughout the day posed a serious challenge to the aerial operations," he said.  Â
Along with local people, the Indian Army, the state police and the ITBP carried out intense search operation all Saturday to no avail, Singh rued. Â
"The IAF has increased the deployment of its helicopters and transport aircraft for the operation and expanded the search area significantly over the past few days. Â
"The data and imaging collected from airborne sensors and satellites are being analysed closely for clues," he maintained.
