The crash of an Air India Boeing 707 almost sixty years ago continues to share its mysteries. As the glaciers atop of Mont Blanc melt and refreeze, items from the accident’s flotsam surface, occasionally discovered by hikers. Eight years ago, one lucky hiker found more than just an old suitcase from the crash – now he’s almost $85,000 richer as a result!
The fateful Boeing 707 of Air India
It’s been over half a century since the ill-fated flight of Air India 101. On the 24th January 1966, this scheduled service from Bombay (as it was) to London was operated by a Boeing 707, registered VT-DMN. The flight needed to make several technical stops on route, and had already stopped in Delhi and Beirut. It was approaching Geneva for its next stop.
The crew were instructed to descend for Geneva once they had passed Mont Blanc. Thinking they had passed the summit, the pilots began their descent around five miles too early. The aircraft crashed into the mountain at an altitude of just over 4,750 meters. All 117 passengers were killed.
The crash deposited wreckage across the mountain, joining the hidden debris from a similar crash in 1950 – another Air India plane, this one a Lockheed Constellation. Hidden by snow and difficult terrain, much of the debris has laid undiscovered. However, from time to time, intrepid hikers have come across suitcases, clothes, and other remnants of the accidents.
But for one lucky hiker, their discovery from the wreckage has turned out to be something really quite special. In 2013, a young man hiking the des Bossons glacier stumbled across an old metal box, marked ‘Made in India.’ Inside was a treasure trove of emeralds, rubies and sapphires, worth a small fortune.
Experts believe these gems originated from the 1966 crash. The hiker, who has not been publicly named, turned over the find to the authorities. Now, eight years later, he has finally been allowed to keep part of the treasure.
No heir found
Authorities have been attempting to find the rightful heir to these gems for eight long years. But now, with no resolution in sight, the anonymous hiker will finally be entitled to their reward. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Chamonix council said,
“After a search for heirs that turned out to be fruitless, the stones were shared this week by two gemology experts between the municipality of Chamonix and the [discoverer].”
In total, the gems are estimated to be worth some $169,000. Half will remain in Chamonix at the Crystal Museum, while the other half will be for the lucky hiker to decide their fate. According to Le Parisien, he hopes to sell the gems and to use the money to renovate his apartment.
It’s not the only treasure that has been found from the Air India crashes, although it is by far the most valuable. In 2012, India took possession of a bag of mail from the flight, and just last year, the glacier uncovered copies of 1966 newspapers, back from when Indira Gandhi became prime minister.
