Search for missing IAF AN-32 aircraft continues for sixth day

Chennai: The co-ordinated search for the missing aircraft AN-32 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) continued for the sixth day on Wednesday in the extended area of the Bay of Bengal between Chennai and Port Blair.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday said a lot of resources have been deployed to work to locate the missing aircraft and added that the Ministry is trying its best to find out leads.

A top Coast Guard official earlier said no debris or survivors have been located yet.

An international safety network has been activated to alert the merchant ships passing by the zone of search operation to look out for any survivors or the debris.

The Andaman and Nicobar Command of the defence forces are keeping a watch for it even beyond the search zone.

As part of the procedure, a formal complaint about the missing aircraft has been registered with the Selaiyur police station in Chennai by the Air Force authorities.

India`s largest ever search operation over the sea to trace the missing twin-engined aircraft is getting imageries of the search area from the ISRO through its radar imaging satellite RISAT.

The Indian Mission Control Centre of the space agency responsible for Satellite Aided Search and Rescue in the region is supplementing the operation by offering its services.

Seventeen naval and Coast Guard ships are mounting day-and-night watch and various military aircraft have made 28 sorties over the search zone till Sunday evening.

However, no clues on the whereabouts of the aircraft are yet known and the sharp lookout continues unabated.