Authorities in southwest China on Thursday returned the remains of three U.S. World War II Allied pilots to American diplomats. U.S. officials and relatives of dead World War II pilots have been demanding more access to the Himalayan region and other parts of the infamous 'Hump' route to recover remains of deceased fighters.

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Nearly 600 aircrafts are believed to have gone missing while travelling the Hump route between India and China to deliver supplies to American pilots and Chinese fighters in Kunming during the Second World War. The route, which began in the Indian state of Assam, took pilots over the Himalayas. This journey was particularly perilous because of the lack of navigational support as well as absence of information about weather patterns.

The U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu Raymond Greene, who received the remains on behalf of the American government, highlighted the importance of the cooperation between China and the U.S. in the anti-fascism war. He noted that the remains will be transported to the U.S. to undergo DNA testing for the identities of the pilots to be ascertained.

The crash site, where the remains of the pilots were recovered, was initially found on a mountain in a neighboring Tibetan county in 1993. The remains of the three pilots were reportedly uncovered during a mission to retrieve parts of the aircraft to be displayed in a museum. In 1999, China handed over the remains of five pilots found at the same site. The crashed airplane is suspected to be the U.S. Army C-87 transport plane, which went missing in 1943 with five pilots aboard.

Up to 650,000 tons of supplies was transported via the Hump route while it remained opened for about three years before it was closed with the end of World War II in 1945. More than 1,500 U.S. pilots are estimated to have lost their lives while plying the Hump route. Remains of U.S. fighters have been found in the Tibetan region and returned to American authorities on numerous occasions. Still, experts say many more remains are yet to be recovered.

Last month, India agreed to give access to U.S. experts to retrieve remains of American World War II pilots from the restive Arunachal Pradesh region. Villagers in northeast India have reported finding mangled U.S. aircrafts deep in the jungle.

Experts agree that the support of allied forces was instrumental in the victory over Japanese forces in the Second World War. Last month, China celebrated the 70th anniversary of the much celebrated triumph. But the top leaders of two of the most important members of the coalition - the U.S. and Britain - failed to show up for the event.

TagsChina-America World War II Allied Force, American Pilots Remains Himalayas World War II, American Pilots China World War II, Hump Route, Assam-Kunming, U.S. Army C-87