Family of a Vermonter missing since World War II says U.S. Defense Department investigators are searching a location in northeast India for the remains of the crew of a plane that crashed in 1944.
The plane carried two Vermonters, 1st Lt. Irwin "Zipper" Zaetz of Burlington and Capt. William A. Swanson of Proctor.
Irwin Zaetz’s younger brother Larry, who now lives in Florida, says he’s hopeful the team will be able to find something.
The B-24 bomber disappeared in bad weather while on a supply run between India and China.
A climber found the crash site in 2006.
Zaetz says a U.S. military team began excavating the site this past weekend.
Any human remains will be tested for DNA to see if they can be identified.