Debris of missing IAF’s aircraft found

The wreckage of an Indian Air Force transport aircraft, which went missing eight days ago with 13 people on board, was found in Arunachal Pradesh today, official sources said.

The wreckage of the Russian-origin AN-32 plane has been traced in Lipa area of Arunachal, our New Delhi correspondent reports quoting the officials.

The plane lost contact with ground agencies on the afternoon of June 3 after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.

"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors," the IAF tweeted.

Indian authorities had mounted an operation to locate the missing plane by pressing into service the IAF's C-130J transport aircraft, Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, Navy's P8-I search aircraft and a fleet of IAF and Army helicopters along with satellites and unmanned drones.

Teams from the Army, Navy and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops, supported by night-time sensors, also joined the search operation.

The Air Force said the search area had been expanded despite challenges posed by thick jungles inhospitable terrain and inclement weather under the plane's flight route.