VISAKHAPATNAM, India – The search for the remains of the eight employees of the Naval Armament Depot, Visakhapatnam, aboard an Indian Air Force AN 32 transport plane, took a hopeful turn on Friday. The plane had disappeared over the Bay of Bengal on July 22, 2016, after taking off from Chennai. Along with six crew members, it carried 29 personnel, including eight from NAD in Visakhapatnam.
The missing personnel were en route to Port Blair to conduct repairs on the close range naval (CRN-91) weapon system aboard the Indian Navy’s fast attack craft INS Ballimalv. The possible wreckage of the aircraft was located by an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) on the sea bed approximately 140 nautical miles from the Chennai coast, giving hope to the family members of the eight NAD employees.
The brother-in-law of one of the missing employees expressed emotions of hope and despair, stating, “We know that the people in it may not be alive, but at least now we can hope to get back something, like the remains or luggage. Though the chances are very slim, as it has been over seven years, but people still live in hope.”
The Indian Air Force announced that the UAV had located possible remains of an aircraft at a depth of about 3,400 meters, and it is possible that it could be the remains of the missing aircraft, as there is no history of any other aircraft going missing in the area. However, a senior naval personnel cautioned against jumping to conclusions and highlighted the difficulties in retrieving anything due to the impact of the crash, water pressure at that depth, and the passage of time.
Despite the challenges, the discovery of the possible wreckage has renewed hope for the families of the missing employees and brought attention back to the tragedy that occurred over seven years ago. The search for answers and closure continues as authorities navigate the complexities of deep-sea recovery efforts.