Missing AN-32: Search area is now 2 lakh sqkm but families in a sea of grief

CHENNAI: The search and rescue paraphernalia for the An-32 aircraft, which went missing over the bay of bengal on Friday, will cover an extended area.
The area has been extended to a total of two lakh sq km, one end of which stretches all the way to a point near Sri Lanka. Flights are surveying the region for survivors or debris. An new search area has been opened closer to Port Blair along the route which the missing flight would have taken.Some 12 ships and one plane of the Indian navy, four ships and two planes of the coast guard, and two planes of the Indian air force are on the job.
In a statement, the defence ministry said, "despite sustained efforts till date, no survivor or debris has been located."
The family of Indian Navy sailor R Muthukrishnan, who was among the 29 onboard the missing Indian Air Force plane AN-32, has almost lost hope of seeing him again. Three days of search operations have not brought them any news and they have begun to fear the worst.
Sources said defence authorities have contacted family members of the people who were on board. The 36-year-old sailor's grieving brother R Nainar spoke to mediapersons on Sunday after the tense family had resolved not to interact with the media since the missing.
"We are expecting an update from the ministry," he said. A dejected Nainar, who is part of the Indian Coast Guard, said search operations generally last only for 72 hours. Nainar recalled the morning of the day the plane went missing. "He was right here that morning. I saw him leave for work."
Plunged in grief, Muthukrishnan's wife continued to receive friends and relatives who came to be with the family.
The missing sailor's house in the CPWD quarters in K K Nagar was wide open for near and dear ones to visit. The house was filled with silence even as relatives continued to pour in. Muthukrishnan's eldest brother R Murugan left for the family's native Thoothukudi where his 80-year-old mother had gone into a shock.
As there is no progress in the search, ministry of defence has asked all government agencies to provide satellite images of the flight.