June 11, 2009 (WAM) Army soldiers recovered all the 13 bodies aboard the Indian Air Force (IAF) AN 32 aircraft that crashed in the Himalayan mountains in north-eastern India yesterday. The aircraft, acquired in mid-1980s from the Soviet Union, was on a routine sortie with 13 defence personnel on board, seven from the IAF and six from the Army. Three of those on board were mid-level officers. The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, has expressed condolences at the tragedy. The reason of the crash is not known.

The crash site was located some 70 km from Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, from where it had taken off for its base in Leh on the return journey. "The terrain is tough, hilly, and it would be a little difficult to ferry the bodies from the crash site to any nearby motorable town. IAF had acquired some 125 AN 32s more than 20 years ago, and although one aircraft disappeared in the Arabian Sea while on hop flights for delivery through the Gulf, the aircraft has had a relatively safe history. Its last air crash was about a decade ago. India still has more than 100 An 32s which form the backbone of its cargo operations. Defence personnel travel routinely in them all over India.

Notably, all the transport aircraft with the Indian Air Force, An 32s and IL 76s, are more than 20 years old. The Government is now set to acquire new, and newer generation, aircraft and also upgrade the old ones for extending their lives by another 20 years.