Kerala soldier Thomas Cherian laid to rest 56 years after IAF aircraft crash; hundreds pay homage

Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds paid homage to Malayali soldier Thomas Cheriyan who died in the 1968 Rohtang Pass IAF plane crash.

The mortal remains that were brought to Kerala on Thursday was taken to his native place Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta by Friday morning.

Hundreds of people gathered on either side of the road to pay last respects to the soldier. Cheriyan's brothers Thomas Thomas and Thomas Varghese, sister Mary and other relatives received the body.

After funeral prayers and ceremonial last respects by the Indian Army, the burial was performed at Karur St Peter's Orthodox church.

Cheriyan's parents O M Thomas and Aleyamma and elder brother Thomas Mathew are no more.

Cheriyan was 22 when he met with the accident in 1968. His body was among the four bodies recovered recently.

The mortal remains of another victim of the mishap E M Thomas of Vayalathala near Ranni in Pathanamthitta was yet to be recovered.

Around 56 years after an ill-fated AN-12 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed over the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, the mortal remains of four victims were recovered, marking a significant success in one of India's longest-running search operations.

The twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft, carrying 102 people, had gone missing on February 7, 1968 while flying from Chandigarh to Leh.

With PTI inputs