On sixth day, no signs of missing IAF plane

Rameswaram/Chennai, July 27 (IANS) The search for the missing Indian Air Force's (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft, that went missing on July 22 with 29 people on board from over Bay of Bengal, entered its sixth day on Wednesday with no confirmed signs of it, said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Speaking to the media in Rameswaram, Parrikar said some objects have been found in the sea and are being examined to ascertain whether they are a part of the missing aircraft.

Meanwhile a senior Coast Guard official told IANS that search for the missing plane is continuing, and the Sagar Nidhi vessel belonging to National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) will soon join the search operations.

There are no traces of any oil slick that could have come from the aircraft, he said, adding that the sea depth in the area of the search is around 3,500 metres and if the aircraft is found, its recovery will not be a problem.

The plane with 29 people on board went missing shortly after taking off from Chennai for Port Blair.

The recorded transcript of air traffic radar showed the last pick up of the aircraft was 151 nautical miles east of Chennai when it took a left turn with rapid loss of height from 23,000 feet.