56 years after IAF plane crash over Rohtang Pass, mortal remains of 4 more victims recovered

Significant breakthrough in recovery of AN-12 crash victims after 56 years, with four more bodies found in Himachal Pradesh.

More than 56 years after an ill-fated AN-12 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed over the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, the mortal remains of four more victims were recovered, marking a significant success in one of India's longest-running search operations.

Army officials said the mortal remains were found by a joint team comprising personnel from the Dogra Scouts of the Indian Army and Tiranga Mountain Rescue.

The twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft, carrying 102 people, had gone missing on February 7, 1968 while flying from Chandigarh to Leh.

"In an extraordinary development, the ongoing search and rescue mission to recover the remains of personnel from the AN-12 aircraft, which crashed on Rohtang Pass in 1968, has achieved significant breakthroughs," said an official.

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, sparking multiple expeditions over the years by the Indian Army, especially the Dogra Scouts.

The Dogra Scouts have been at the forefront of search missions in 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2019.