American Investigators land in India looking for missing World War II airmen

American investigators from the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) are in India in search for remains of United States personnel missing since World War II in the North East.

 Kolkata-based US Consulate General office said that the latest search operation is the fifth mission being carried out by American investigators in India since 2013. A team of DPAA was in northeast India for a month in search of remains for US airmen last year too.

According to a statement released by the US Consulate, around 400 US airmen went missing in India during the World War II and it is believed their remains are located in Himalaya Mountains in northeastern India.

According to reports, during the World War II United States provided supplies to the Chinese Army by flying over the Himalayas in the route popularly known as ‘The Hump.’ Many of the aircrafts deployed in the route went missing and were never to be found in the mountain terrain.

The press release also read that DPAA during its last visits in 2015 and 2016 had recovered remains which are in the process of being identified through DNA testing. One set of remains recovered in 2015 was indentified as US Army Air Forces 1st Lt Robert E. Oxford.

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MaryKay Carlson, Chargé d'Affaires at US Embassy in Delhi said, “This is the fifth DPAA mission to India since 2013, demonstrating successful cooperation between the governments of India and the United States. This positive relationship underscores the dedication each nation brings to this humanitarian mission."

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DPAA missions are to provide fullest possible accounting for US missing soldiers to their families and Americans.

(With PTI inputs)