Search for AN-32 enters third phase: Coast Guard

Chennai, Sep 17 (PTI) A remote-operated vehicle that canscan inside water, up to a depth of 3.5 km, has joined thesearch for Air Force’s AN-32 aircraft, which went missing with29 on board on July 22, launching the third phase of operationto trace the plane. "Now we are in the third phase of search operations,wherein, Sagar Nidhi is today sailing with the remote operatedvehicle which will go down to the depth of 3,500 metres,"Coast Guard Inspector General Rajan Bargotra said. "After the first phase of search operations, in thesecond phase we have utilised two vessels — the Sagar Nidhifrom National Institute of Ocean Technology and the other one– Samudra Ratnagar from Geological Survey of India." These two vessels carried out extensive underwater searchoperations in the area, he told reporters. The Coast Guard and Navy have identified about 15locations in the Bay of Bengal, where the aircraft issuspected to have gone down. Recently, the IAF had informed the families of those onboard the missing aircraft that their relatives were "presumeddead". So far two phases — surface search and sub-surface –have been undertaken, but no debris of the transport aircraftthat went missing on its way to Port Blair from Tambaramairbase here has been found. PTI VIJ BNTIR