Maoist attack: Nine more bodies found in retrieved launch

Malkangiri (Orissa), July 7: Eight days after Maoists sank the launch carrying personnel of the elite Greyhound force of Andhra Pradesh in Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri, nine more bodies were retrieved from the vessel which has been lifted to the surface and pulled to the shore on Monday.

"Five more jawans are still missing," Malkangiri superintendent of police G K Gajbhiye said.

The vessel was lifted to the surface from the reservoir bed at a depth of about 43 m and pulled to the shore with the help of special gas balloons and towed to the ferry point near Balimela dam on Monday morning with the help of two motor boats.

Special light arrangements were made for the rescue operation, he said.

The balloons were used after efforts to bring a heavy duty helicopter to pull the vessel to the shore failed due to rains and inclement weather, police said.

After the boats reached spillway of the dam, efforts are now on to drag the vessel which is full of mud and soil, out of the reservoir. Thereafter, a thorough scanning would be done to look for more bodies, Gajbhiye said.

Following the recovery today, the total number of bodies of security personnel found so far rose to 33. Twenty eight others had managed to swim ashore after the Maoist attack on the boat on June 29.