In a significant development in India’s longest-running search and recovery operation, the Indian Army has recovered four more bodies from the wreckage of an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft that crashed in 1968 in the Rohtang Pass area of Himachal Pradesh. The discovery was made by the Army’s Chandra Bhaga Mountain Expedition, bringing the total number of bodies recovered to nine.

The four-engine Antonov-12 military transport aircraft, which was carrying 102 people, crashed on February 7, 1968, after taking off from Chandigarh and encountering severe weather. The aircraft’s wreckage was initially buried in the snow-covered terrain, making recovery efforts difficult. In 2003, mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering first stumbled upon the wreckage, sparking a series of recovery expeditions by the Indian Army’s Dogra Scouts.

Despite ongoing efforts in 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2019, only five bodies had been recovered until now. With this latest expedition, four additional bodies have been found. Of the four, three have been identified using personal documents found on their remains. The identified victims include Sepoys Narayan Singh (Army Medical Corps), Malkhan Singh (Pioneer Corps), and Craftsman Thomas Charan (Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers). Narayan Singh was identified through his paybook, while Malkhan Singh’s identity was confirmed by a voucher found in his pocket. Craftsman Thomas Charan was similarly identified using his paybook.

The fourth body has not yet been identified, but authorities are working on providing details to the victim’s family. The Army has stated that the search operation will continue until October 10.