The An-32 aircraft took off from Jorhat at 12.27 pm for the Menchuka advance landing ground and its last contact with the ground control was at 1 pm. (Representational)Search and rescue operation (SAR) for the missing An-32 aircraft could not be conducted on Sunday due to bad weather and low clouds. Sources said helicopters, UAV and C-130J were airborne for the operation, but landed due to rains. However, SAR by the ground party is still on.
On Friday too, the search operations were halted due to unfavourable weather and low light conditions.
IAF and Navy, aided by the Army, local police, state government, paramilitary forces and the local population, have been looking for the transport aircraft ever since it went missing with 13 people on board Monday. The aircraft was flying from Jorhat in Assam to Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh when it lost all contacts with ground staff at around 1 pm, they said. However, search teams are yet to find clues.
Meanwhile, newly elected Lok Sabha member from Aska Pramila Bisoyi has urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to expedite the search operations to trace the aircraft.
In a letter to the defence minister on Saturday, the first time MP said, Sunit Mohanty, a 28-year-old flight lieutenant, was among the eight crew members on board the An-32 aircraft. Mohanty belongs to Baliapalli in Kabisurya Nagara assembly segment under Aska parliamentary constituency.
All electronic, radar, optical and infrared sensors including…
