Locals of Kimin in Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh have claimed to have found wreckage of a plane believed to have crashed during World War II in the remote hilly terrain near Bogi Nodi, along Assam-Arunachal inter-state boundary.
The group of youths from the region claimed to have retrieved some metal scraps which are believed to be the engine and radiator of a US Air Force plane used during the World War II over the Himalayan range of Arunachal Pradesh.
“We think it to be the wreckage of an American plane used in World War II that flew over the Himalayan range of Arunachal Pradesh and crashed here. By looking at the portions, it was a kind of plane which was popular known as ‘hump’ among the US Air Force. The location and the engine model also support our assumption,” said Taba Nobin who led the team of explorers from Kimin.
However, he added, it needs proper verification by experts.
He further added there are more of the plane buried under the ground and they need proper machinery and equipment to dig out the remaining parts. As of now, they are handicapped due to non-availability of adequate machinery and equipment.
“We need expertise to dig up the remains as improper handling might damage the wreckage,” Taba added.
“We have managed to take out a few scraps of metal, and have marked the area with the help of GPS device and photographs,” he said.
This is not the first time that the wreckage of an World War II plane has been found in this north-eastern state.
Earlier, in 2013, an Army patrol team discovered skeletal remains of crew members from the wreckage of a World War-II US warplane that had crashed in the Lulam Gika hills in East Kameng district of the State after villagers of Keshe Bagang had informed the Army.
On that occasion, it was the wreckage of a scout Black Hawk aircraft near Kesse Bagang village that also had skeletal remains.