NEW DELHI: The wreckage of a missing An-32 aircraft with 13 on board has been found in Arunachal Pradesh, confirms Indian Air Force.  The aircraft was missing since June 3.

The wreckage was spotted in Payum Circle of Siang district by a Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force, flying at a height of around 12,000 feet. The Indian Air Force tweeted, “Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors.”

IAF’s C-130J transport aircraft, Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, NAVY P8-I search aircraft and a fleet of IAF and Army helicopters were deployed for searching the missing aircraft. ISRO satellites and unmanned drones were also involved in the search operations.

Besides, teams from the Army, Navy and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops, supported by night-time sensors were on their best of alert all through the night.

The Air Force said the search area was expanded despite challenges posed by vegetation, inhospitable terrain and poor weather. The missing plane was traveling from Jorhat in Assam to a remote military landing strip in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh when it vanished suddenly from the radar around 1 pm on June 3. (Agencies)