56 years later, body of soldier Thomas Cherian brought home for cremation with military honors

PATHANAMTHITTA: The body of soldier Thomas Cherian, who perished in a plane crash in Himachal Pradesh 56 years ago, has been brought to his hometown of Elanthoor for final rites. Cherian will be cremated with full military honors at St. Peter's Valiyapalli, Karur.

The body, which had been preserved in the mortuary of the Pangode Military Camp, arrived in Elanthoor around 10:30 AM. Following a public homage and family rituals, a funeral procession will commence at 12:30 PM, taking the body to the church where the public can also pay their respects. The funeral rites are scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM.

Cherian's body was flown to Thiruvananthapuram by the Air Force at approximately 1:30 PM the previous day, where it was received by central and state ministers, as well as family members.

The crash occurred on February 7, 1968, when a plane carrying soldiers from Chandigarh to Ladakh went missing in the snow. Thomas Cherian, who served as a craftsman in the army, was just 22 years old at the time. He had enlisted in 1965. Of the 103 people on board, 96 were soldiers. After an extensive search, Cherian's remains were finally recovered on Monday afternoon.