New Delhi: As the search and rescue operations for the missing AN-32 aircraft entered day five on Tuesday, hopes of finding alive the 29 defence personnel on board receded, as all leads till now have turned out to be bad.
"A lot of resources are in place. All leads till now have turned out to be bad. We are trying to concentrate on some links or sounds emitted from some area. But there were some false leads too," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Tuesday.
He said a state-of-the-art ice-class research vessel, Sagar Nidhi, of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has been called in from Mauritius to help in the search.
Sagar Nidhi has a Dynamic Positioning System which keeps its position stable, which is required for oceanographic research.
One separate lab is designed and installed with integrated survey systems with scientific equipment like single and multi beam echo sounder for shallow and deep waters, sub-bottom profiler and acoustic current profiler.
Parrikar also refuted the senior Coast Guard official's claims that the the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) had not functioned during the Dornier crash too.
"I think the submarine finally located the Dornier with the same beeps. Initially, the sound might not have travelled due to the depth of water but when the submarine went in there, they identified the location. Can't say whether or not it is operating now, but we have not been able to hear it," he said.
Sources in the Indian Air Force said the reasons behind the disappearance could be many, and that it was too early to ascertain. The weather could have played a role. "The weather had been rough but the pilot had taken necessary steps," a senior officer said.
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