Air officer commanding-in-chief of Eastern Air Command (EAC), Air Marshal R.D. Mathur called on Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu and governor Brig (Retd) B.D. Mishra at Itanagar.
While meeting Khandu, Air Marshal Mathur extended his gratitude to the Arunachal Pradesh government for the support and assistance extended to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the search and rescue operations after the unfortunate crash of an AN-32 aircraft in the hills of Shi-Yomi district.
The AoC said only with the active support and cooperation of the state government through its district administrations and local people, the daunting task of retrieving the bodies of the air-warriors could be completed.
Mathur said unfortunately airlifting of the rescuers, which included local mountaineer Taka Tamut, was delayed due to inclement weather and they had to camp in the mountains for almost 11 days.