Peruvian Army intensifies search for FAP Ensign Ashley Vargas Mendoza in Paracas

The work is being carried out with drones, specialized units and new tracking areas in coordination with the Armed Forces.

Military reinforcement in a high-commitment operation

The Peruvian Army has significantly reinforced the search operations for the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) Ensign Ashley Vargas Mendoza, who has been missing since last May 20 after a plane crash in the Pisco area. The officer was aboard a KT-1P aircraft on a training mission when contact with her unit was lost near Zarate Island, in the Paracas National Reserve.

Specialized equipment and new tracking areas

To intensify efforts, highly trained personnel from the 1st Special Forces Brigade and the 21st Air Ground Reconnaissance Squadron of the 1st Multipurpose Brigade have been deployed. These units are conducting search operations at critical points such as Lagunilla, Yumaque and Supay beaches, where new potential search areas have been identified.

The deployment includes the use of reconnaissance drones to extend the range of the operation and improve the accuracy of searches in hard-to-reach terrain.

Inter-institutional coordination underway

The operation has the joint participation of the Peruvian Air Force, the Navy and other state entities, which have implemented aerial and maritime patrols with helicopters and boats. So far, fragments of the aircraft have been located in different coastal areas, including Mendieta and Supay beaches.

Authorities are constantly working in the area, and the pilot's family has requested that the causes of the accident be clarified through a transparent investigation.