All 29 on board the AN-32 aircraft, which went missing in the Bay of Bengal on July 22, are to be presumed dead, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally informed the family members.

Providing the Certificate of Presumption of Death, the IAF (http://indianairforce.nic.in/) letter dated August 24 to the families states that “the Court of Inquiry, upon very careful scrutiny of circumstantial evidence available, and in light of extensive search and rescue operations carried out, has concluded that it is unlikely that the missing personnel on board the ill-fated aircraft would have survived the accident”.

According to the Defence ministry sources, “informing the next of kin of the missing personnel after a certain period is a requirement as per military regulations, for release of service and pensionary benefits to the families. It should not be confused with the search for the missing aircraft, its wreckage or debris.”

“The search for the missing AN-32 is still in progress, with ships from National Institute of Ocean Technology and Geological Survey of India Samudra Ratnakar and Sagar Nidhi and Remotely Operated Vehicles. Efforts of the IAF, navy and coast guard continue as hitherto. In addition, a general alert has been issued for mariners in the area to look out for any debris,” a source added.

Nandini