Diplomatic Mail, Newspapers, Other Debris Discovered By Hikers

The wreckage of a Boeing 707 which went down 46 years ago in the French Alps has been discovered by some hikers on Mont Blanc. The wreckage is thought to be that of Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707 which impacted the mountain on January 24, 1966 on a flight from Mumbai to New York with several intermediate stops. The flight had departed Beirut on its way to Geneva when the accident occurred.

The Associated Press reports that the hikers found one of the plane's wheels, as well as a shoe and a bag of diplomatic mail. The French news service AFP reports that the bag was marked "Ministry of External Affairs."

The hikers reportedly saw something shining on the Bossons glacier, and went to investigate. One of the hikers, Arnaud Christmann, told AFP "it's a real dump up there." He said there were also pieces of the cabin of the airplane, as well as some cables.

The accident resulted in the fatal injury of 106 passengers and 11 crew.

Indian newspapers dated the day before the accident were found in the same area in 2008.

(Boeing 707 shown in file photo)

FMI: http://india.gov.in/sectors/transport/ministry_civilaviation.php