The air chief NAK Browne speaking to the media in Gauchar says the cockpit voice recorder of the chopper has been recovered. 19 bodies have been recovered from the site of the crash near Gaurikund. There were 5 personnel from IAF, 6 from the ITBP and nine from the NDRF. No one survived the crash," he said. There were a total of 20 people on board.

Responding to a question from a reporter, who can't seem to understand the difference between a calculated risk and being foolhardy, Browne says the weather is always an issue. "We don't if it was the weather or a technical problem. We will know exactly what has happened from the flight recorder, so it's too premature to comment. But, operational risk factor is always considered very closely, reviewed on a daily mission basis, before a chopper sets out on a mission. Very often, the pilot returns if he believes it is unsafe. The crew is highly qualified, highly trained and we leave it up to them to decide, what is safe and what is not.

"The morale of the force remains extremely high. Their performance has been extremely marvellous and yes, any time you lose people it's not a good feeling. But we have to finish the mission. They are doing a great job. We have received tremendous support for the armed forces," he said.