A phone call from a Kerala police station brought long-awaited news to Thomas Thomas: the body of his brother, Thomas Cherian, had finally been found—56 years and eight months after he went missing in a tragic air crash.
Cherian, a craftsman in the Indian Army, was one of 102 passengers aboard an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-12 aircraft that crashed in the Himalayas in February 1968. The plane had vanished while flying over the treacherous Rohtang Pass between Himachal Pradesh and Indian-administered Kashmir during adverse weather conditions.
For decades, the crash site remained elusive, and the families of those on board were left in painful uncertainty. It wasn’t until 2003 that mountaineers discovered the first body from the wreckage, reigniting hope for answers. In the years since, additional recovery missions have yielded only partial results, with the remains of a handful of passengers being recovered.
The most recent breakthrough came just a few days ago when the Indian Army, alongside Tiranga Mountain Rescue, recovered the remains of four more passengers, including Cherian, from an altitude of 16,000 feet near the Dhaka Glacier. The discovery brought bittersweet closure to families who had endured decades of waiting.
“After 56 years, the suffocating wait is finally over,” Thomas Thomas said, reflecting on the long journey of anguish that his family had endured. His brother Cherian, who was just 22 years old at the time of the crash, was en route to his first posting in Leh when tragedy struck.
Harsh conditions and the unforgiving Himalayan terrain have long hampered recovery efforts. The recent expedition, led by the Dogra Scouts, utilized advanced technology such as satellite imagery, Recco radar, and drones to locate and identify bodies buried deep within the glacier. The Recco radar, designed to detect metallic objects under snow, helped the search team pinpoint debris from the downed aircraft. Cherian was identified by the initials on his military uniform—“Thomas C”—and personal documents recovered from his pockets.
His body, draped in the Indian flag, was returned to his family in Kerala on October 3. A funeral service was held the following day in his hometown of Elanthoor, where relatives and members of the community gathered to pay their final respects.
The crash has left an indelible mark on many families across India. Among those affected is Jaiveer Singh, whose uncle, Narayan Singh, also perished in the crash. Narayan’s remains were also recovered during the latest mission. Singh’s family, like so many others, had lived in limbo for decades. Jaiveer’s mother, Narayan’s wife, clung to the hope of her husband’s return until her passing in 2011. “I don’t even have a photograph of my uncle to remember him by,” Jaiveer remarked solemnly.
In total, 13 bodies have been recovered from the crash site since the first discovery in 2003. With extreme weather conditions continuing to hinder efforts, the possibility of recovering all the remains remains uncertain. Yet, for the families of those who have been found, the news brings an emotional blend of grief, relief, and finality.
Even after half a century, the memory of the ill-fated flight lingers, reminding us of the enduring hope and the resilience of families who never gave up on finding their loved ones.