Missing AN-32: Just a few small leads, says Parrikar

Search for the missing AN32 Indian Air Force plane continued for the fifth day on Tuesday, with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar saying that around four-five search leads had turned out to be ‘bad’.

The AN-32 which went missing on July 22 with 29 people on board remains untraced despite massive search operations in the Bay of Bengal, the authorities said on Tuesday.

Parrikar told reporters that the agencies are trying to concentrate on some links or sound emitting from some area in the sea. He also discounted reports of the airworthiness of the AN-32, saying it is one of "the safest aircraft the IAF flies".

Speaking of the rescue efforts, Parrikar told reporters: "A lot of resources are in place for the search and rescue operations for the missing Indian Air Force, AN-32 aircraft, but all leads till now have turned out to be bad. We are trying to concentrate on some links or sound which have been emitted from some area."

A state-of-the-art ice-class research vessel, Sagar Nidhi, of the National Institute of Ocean Technology has been called from Mauritius for the search operation. Sagar Nidhi comes with Dynamic Positioning System to keep its position stable, which is required for oceanographic research.

Parrikar also contradicted Coast Guard official who said the ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) did not work in a Dornier plane of the Coast Guard that had crashed last year.

"I think the submarine finally located the Dornier with the same beeps. Initially sound might not have come due to the depth of water, but when the submarine went in there they identified the location," he said.