Kathmandu, January 24. A crashed C-46 military transport aircraft from World War II has been unearthed in India’s Himalayas.

The aircraft carrying 13 people took off from Kunming, China, in January 1945. A few hours after takeoff, the aircraft entered the difficult highlands of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The aeroplane got disappeared in the storms.

Bill Scherer, the son of one of the officers stationed abroad, requested that American Adventurer Clayton Kuhles look find the debris 77 years later.

The search for the tragic flight was thereafter led by Kuhles. “This aircraft was never heard from again,” Kuhles told reporters. It simply disappeared.”

The mission was extremely challenging. During the aeroplane hunt, three native Lisu ethnic guides died of hypothermia. 

After months of searching, the team discovered the wreckage on a snow-covered mountain in December of last year. The team announced that they identified the wreckage by the tail number of the crashed plane. They also confirmed that no human remains were found at the site.

Bill Scherer, who initiated the search, told the AFP news agency, “All I can say is that I am overjoyed, just knowing where he is. It is sad but joyous … I grew up without a father. All I can think of is my poor mother, getting a telegram and finding out her husband is missing and she is left with me, a 13-month-old baby boy.”