SAGAR NIDHI

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Research ship assists in search for downed aircraft

The "Sagar Nidhi" was deployed to the crash site of a Coastguard Dornier aircraft after a naval ship has picked up beacon signals and spotted oil spills in the area where the aircraft was suspected to have gone missing on June 8, 2015. The "Sandhyak" has detected intermittent Tx, likely to be from the Sonar Locating Beacon of the missing aircraft. Multi-coloured oil seen in concentric circles indicating oozing of oil in area under focus.Authorities suspected that signals and the spill came from the aircraft. They have sent a sample of the oil for testing. The transmission is believed to have come from around Karaikkal-Cuddalore on Tamil Nadu coast, where Air Traffic Control (ATC) radar had lost contact of the aircraft. The National Institute of Ocean Technology has diverted the "Sagar Nidhi" to help in the operation: the vessel was likely to arrive at the search site on June 14. Authorities have also approached Reliance India Limited for its Multi Support Vessel (MSV) with Remotely Operable Underwater Vehicle (ROV) to help underwater search operations. 10 CG and Navy ships and two aircraft have been deployed into the search operation.