Post-Mortem of four soldiers' remains from 1968 AN-12 crash to be conducted in Losar

Lahaul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 1 : Following the recovery of mortal remains of four soldiers from the wreckage of an AN-12 aircraft that went down in 1968, a post-mortem will be conducted in Losar after which the bodies will be returned to their families.

Mayank Choudhary, the Superintendent of Police for Lahaul-Spiti, while speaking to ANI said, "Around 56 years ago, in 1968, an IAF aircraft AN-12 carrying 102 soldiers had crashed at Chandrabhaga 13 near Dhaka glacier. In the past also, constant efforts have been made to recover bodies from this crash. Till now, 5 mortal remains have been recovered."

"In September, a team to recover mortal remains was activated again, and this time four mortal remains were found. The bodies were in a decomposed state," he added.
The identified soldiers include Malkhan Singh from Saharanpur, Sipahi Narain Singh from Pauri Garhwal, Sipahi Munshi Ram from Rewari, Haryana, and Thomas Cherian from Kerala.

"After the recovery of the bodies, the Police contacted the Army. Bodies are being brought to Losar, where a post-mortem will be performed, after which it will be handed over to the respective families," SP Lahaul-Spiti, Mayank Choudhary said.

An Indian Army expedition recovered the mortal remains of four soldiers from the wreckage of an AN-12 aircraft that crashed in the Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh in 1968.
Mayank Chaudhary, Superintendent of Police of the Lahaul-Spiti district, confirmed on Monday evening to ANI that information about the discovery had been received through a satellite phone from the Army expedition team. This team was conducting a mountaineering expedition in the remote and challenging region of CB-13 (Chandrabhaga-13 Peak), near Batal in Lahaul-Spiti.

In 1968, the aircraft, which took off from Chandigarh, was en route to Leh when it encountered severe weather conditions and crashed into the mountainous terrain of the Lahaul valley. Despite repeated search operations over the years, many of the bodies and debris had remained lost in the high-altitude, snow-covered region.

In 2018, remains of the aircraft and one soldier's body were discovered at the Dhaka glacier base camp, located at an altitude of 6,200 meters. This recovery was made by a team of mountaineers who were part of a clean-up expedition to the Chandrabhaga-13 peak, initiated on July 1, 2018.

This discovery has brought renewed attention to the 1968 crash, with many hoping that the recovery of these soldiers' remains will eventually lead to the location of others still missing from the accident. The expedition is expected to continue to search the area for further remains and any additional clues about the crash that may still be hidden in the treacherous terrain.