Palwal (Haryana) [India], Jun 11 (ANI): As the Indian Air Force reported spotting of the wreckage of its AN-32 transport aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, the desolate family of Ashish Tanwar, the pilot awaits news about him.
Ashish's mother, who is inconsolable still harbours hope that her child would soon be in her arms.
Speaking to ANI, she said: "I believe my son would be alive."
IAF said that efforts are underway to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors stating that High elevation and dense forest together coupled with inhospitable weather made it extremely difficult to search for the plane in the inaccessible and sparsely populated hilly terrain.
Family members of the Tanwar have raised questions over why the outdated aircraft was sent to fly over treacherous terrain.
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"The aircraft was not upgraded and this shows the carelessness on the part of the government. If something happens to Ashish, we will be devastated," said Ashish's paternal uncle, Udayvir Singh at their family home in Palwal.
Ashish's wife, Sandhya, who is posted in Jorhat as Air Traffic Controller, saw the events unfurl the day the incident took place.
"She was on duty when an Indian Air Force AN-32 transport aircraft, carrying 13 IAF personnel, along with her husband, took off at 12:35 pm on June 3", Udayvir Singh said.
Elaborating on how he joined the IAF, he said: "Ashish has always had an inclination towards joining the armed forces. He completed his early education from Kendriya Vidyalaya and later joined a B Tech course in Kanpur. After working with an MNC for some time, he joined IAF in December 2013. He was commissioned as a pilot in May 2015."
Another family member narrated how he gifted her mother a new car when he came for a vacation with his wife last month.
After an extensive search for eight days, the wreckage of the aircraft was today located earlier today by the crew of a Mi-17 V5 chopper in a valley in Arunachal Pradesh.