IAF locates AN-32 wreckage in Arunachal Pradesh after 8 days

New Delhi, June 11: The wreckage of the Indian Air Force's missing AN-32 transport aircraft has been found in Arunachal Pradesh, almost a week after it went missing.

The wreckage has been found in Payum Circle of Siang district. It was spotted by a Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force.

The IAF has confirmed that wreckage of the missing AN-32 was spotted north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress," it added.

The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft with 13 people on board lost contact on June 3 afternoon after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.

IAF had launched a massive search operation hours after the aircraft went missing. The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.