Eight days after an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft went missing during a flight to a forward air strip close to the Chinese boundary, the wreckage of the aircraft was located from the air by a search team on a Mi-17 helicopter near Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh.

There was no word on the fate of the 13 persons on board in the immediate aftermath of the location of the wreckage in a densely forested mountainous area.

"The wreckage of the missing #An32 was spotted today 16 Kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12000 ft by the #IAF Mi-17 Helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone," the IAF spokesperson stated on Twitter.

Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants & establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 11, 2019

"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants & establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress," he added.

Reports suggested that the wreckage was located 15-20 km north of the programmed flight path.

An extraordinary search and rescue effort was mounted after the aircraft went off the radar shortly past 1 pm after having taken off from the Jorhat airbase in Assam at 12:27 pm on June 3 for the Mechuka advanced landing ground (ALG) in the West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on a routine air maintenance sortie.

Roped into the search effort were ISRO remote sending satellites, Indian Naval P8I reconnaissance aircraft, drones and helicopters of the IAF and Army, besides search parties of the Army, and border forces and state police on the ground. The IAF even announced a reward of 500,000 to local tribesmen for information on the location of the wreckage. Mountainous terrain, thick forests and bad weather complicated the search effort.

Roped into the search effort were ISRO remote sending satellites, Indian Naval P8I reconnaissance aircraft, drones and helicopters of the IAF and Army, besides search parties of the Army, and border forces and state police on the ground. The IAF even announced a reward of 500,000 to local tribesmen for information on the location of the wreckage. Mountainous terrain, thick forests and bad weather complicated the search effort.

On June 9, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa visited Jorhant airbase to acquaint himself with the search efforts first hand. He also interacted with the families of those who were on board the ill-fated aircraft.

The cause of the crash will be established by a court of inquiry once the wreckage is recovered. The flying environment in the sector is treacherous. Exactly 10 years ago, another AN-32 aircraft, ironically also with 13 persons on board, crashed after dashing into a mountain shortly after taking off from Mechuka in bad weather. All 13 persons had perished in that crash.