IMPHAL: Rescue teams have recovered 55 bodies from the Thang jing hill area near here where an Indian Airlines Boeing crashed Aug. 16 report agencies.
Personnel drawn from para-military and police besides about 400 mountaineers were searching for the debris and bodies of 69 persons who were killed when the Imphal-bound Boeing 737 crashed about 45 kms from here Friday in Manipur’s Churachandrapur district.
The rescue team which reached the crash site 15 hours after the accident had recovered 55 bodies till these afternoon official sources said.
Eight bodies including that of the former deputy chief minister Irengbam Tompok Singh and the sitting Congress MLA K. Bira Singh had been identified according to family sources.
INSURGENT GROUP: Aviation experts are ascertaining whether the crash was caused due to sabotage
The involvement of an insurgent group is being suspected in view of its threat a few days ago to hijack or blow up an aircraft in the Calcutta northeastern sector.
The Manipur minister for science technology and environment Dr. Nara Singh who held talks with members of the recovery team said here that it seemed to be a mid-air explosion as the body of the aircraft was blown into pieces and the wreckage scattered within a radius of 4 km.
He said only some portion of the cockpit and the tail of the aircraft could be identified.
Quoting recovery team members Dr.Singh said the airhostess was found sitting in her chair with the safety belt on. This proved that the plane was preparing for landing when the explosion took place he said.
Preliminary official reports said the villagers of Nobinkhonou had seen the aircraft burst into flames.
CHARRED BODIES: The Manipur chief minister R.K.Ranbir Singh who went close to the crash site said that it was very difficult to identify the bodies because most of them were charred and mutilated.
The authorities were trying to identify the victims from their personal belongings he said.
Ranbir Singh who convened an emergency cabinet meeting this afternoon said more police and other forces had been rushed to the crash site and they were trekking to reach the spot. It was about five or six hours journey on foot from Moirang Lamkhai area to the accident site.
Rescue operations the chief minister said would continue The pilot had also been identified he said.
According to first information received at the state capital from the crash site the plane crashed after one of its wings hit a big tree on top of Thangjing hill.
After hitting the tree top the plane was reportedly seen circling over Thangjing hill before it finally burst into Names according to some villagers.
Only six bodies were in a recognizable state and most of the rest were badly mutilated according to villagers who went right into the accident area.
The identity card of one Ms. Mar (JAS) was also reportedly recovered from the crash site by the villagers who later handed it over to the authorities
The Union minister for civil aviation Madhavrao Scindia is camping here to supervise rescue operations. Earlier Scindia tried to visit the crash site in the helicopter but could not land there for want of a helipad.
The Union minister also visited the bereaved family members of the sitting Congress MLA and former minister of state for education Bira Singh who was among the 69 killed in the crash
Meanwhile the Boeing companies sending an accident investigator to help investigate the cause of the crash INVESTIGATOR: The investigator who is expected to reach the accident site by Sunday is being sent at the request of the Indian authorities according to company spokesperson
The aircraft company has already dispatched its Bombay-based customer services representive to inspect the wreckage of the aircraft.
The ill-fated aircraft was induct into the Indian Airlines fleet November 1977 an has operated 33,3570 flights logins 29 hours.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 23, 1991
