Kerala: Mortal Remains of Soldier Who Died in 1968 Plane Crash, Brought to Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram: The mortal remains of Thomas Cherian, who perished in a plane crash over Rohtang Pass in 1968, were brought to Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

Family members, senior defense personnel, and state and union ministers received the body at the Technical area of Thiruvananthapuram airport. The remains will be escorted by military personnel to the residence of Shaiju K. Mathew, the son of Cherian's elder brother, Thomas Mathew, in Pathanamthitta district.

The funeral service is scheduled at St. Peter's Orthodox Church, Karur, on Friday at 12:40 pm

The mortal remains of Cherian were recovered recently, after 56 years following his tragic demise in a plane crash. Cherian, a craftsman in the Indian Army, was just 22 when the AN-12 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed over the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. The twin-engine turbo-propelled transport aircraft, which was carrying 102 people, went missing on February 7, 1968, during its flight from Chandigarh to Leh.

In addition to Cherian, the remains of three other soldiers were found on Monday during a joint operation by the Agra Scouts of the Indian Army and the Tiranga Mountain Rescue Team.

Another soldier E M Thomas, from Ranni in Pathanamthitta, also lost his life in the same crash. However, his mortal remains have yet to be found. Thomas's family remains hopeful that they will recover their loved one's remains.

Molly, Thomas's sister who resides in the United States, informed the media that they are hopeful the army will also retrieve her brother's remains. "I was nine years old when the incident occurred. My recollection is hazy, but I remember he was very close to our family and would reassure our parents, promising he'd always be there for them," she recounted.

The relatives of Thomas remain hopeful that the army teams will persist in their search and recover the remains of their loved ones. To date, nine bodies have been retrieved.

Cherian’s brothers, Thomas Thomas and Thomas Varghese expressed a mix of deep sorrow and relief upon learning about the body of their sibling. Their sister Mary shared her relief at the thought of her brother finally returning to their parents.

"It was initially very mentally disturbing when I heard the news. I'm relieved that my siblings will be joining us. Seeing that body laid to rest with my father and mother brings me peace. I've been concerned about not seeing him all these years. My brother enlisted in the army at 18. At the time of the incident, I was 12 years old. The first thing we knew was that the plane had gone missing. It caused a great deal of pain for my mother and everyone else at the time. I cried constantly until my mother passed away in 1998," she recounted.