Indian Air Force finds remains of pilot of crashed MiG

NEW DELHI: IAF has finally found the remains of the pilot of the MiG-29 that crashed in the mountainous Lahaul-Spiti area of Himachal Pradesh on October 18 after mounting one of the largest search operations in recent years.
The remains of Squadron Leader Dharmendra Singh Tomar, who apparently failed to eject, were found in the wreckage of the fighter near Kherot village in the Chokhang hills at an altitude of 15,000-17,000-feet.
"The remains have been sent for medical and forensic examination. The family members of the ill-fated pilot, who were camping at the Adampur airbase, have been informed," said an IAF official.
As reported earlier by TOI, IAF clocked over 160 sorties for the mission, with Sukhoi-30MKIs, Jaguars, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), Cheetah and Cheetal helicopters searching the “probable areas of the crash'' with high-tech electro-optical equipment, supplemented by search operations on the ground by specially-trained and acclimatized troops.
"Considering the remote, high-altitude, snow-clad mountainous region, at elevations extending from 15,000-feet to 20,000-feet, and the fact that no radio call was received from the pilot before the crash, made the entire effort very demanding," said the officer.