Shimla, Oct 24 (IANS): A day after snowfall, the search for an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 combat jet that crashed last week resumed in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Valley as the sky cleared Monday. The pilot's fate is still not known.

"Ground and aerial combing again started to locate the wreckage and the pilot," Deputy Superintendent of Police Khajana Ram told IANS over telephone.

He said the search operation was not carried out Sunday owing to snowfall and strong icy winds in the region.

"Trekking the vertical rocky peaks is quite challenging after the snowfall. The help of local villagers is being taken to locate the wreckage," Ram added.

Meanwhile, the family of missing pilot, Squadron Leader D.S. Tomar, has reached the Lahul Valley from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

"The pilot's family members met me. We assured them the administration would provide all help to locate him," Lahaul and Spiti Deputy Commissioner Rajeev Shankar said.

The family is requesting the villagers to help locate the missing pilot. It has announced a reward of Rs.50,000 to anyone who provides conclusive clues about him.

The IAF has said it has identified the hills above Chokhang village, located on the Keylong-Udaipur highway and 40 km from Keylong town, where the MiG-29 crashed.

The pilot, who had taken off from Adampur near Jalandhar in Punjab Oct 19, was on night flying training mission.

Some locals have spotted burnt pieces of the aircraft in the hills of Thirot but the search parties haven't been able to reach the site due to hostile weather.