CDS General Bipin Rawat’s Chopper Crashes, 14 On Board, 5 Dead

An Indian Air Force chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, including 13 others crashed in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, the Indian Air Force said.

According to NDTV, five bodies have been found from the crash site near Coonoor and four with severe burn injuries have been taken to hospital.

Among the 14, General Rawat’s wife, his Defence Assistant, security commandos and Indian Air Force personnel were reportedly on board.

In a tweet, the Indian Air Force confirmed that the Chief of Defence Staff was on the flight, who had taken a flight from Delhi to Sulur earlier on Wednesday and that flight manifest had listed nine people.

“An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

The chopper was crashed in the Nilgiris shortly after the Mi-series helicopter took off from the army base in Coimbatore’s Sulur.

The Army chopper was heading to the Defence Staff Services College located in Wellington in Ooty.

The crash was reported around 12.20 pm and the defence establishment learnt of the incident from villagers who informed the district administration.

Visuals of the crash site show the wreckage scattered on a steep hillside and several rescuers at work, struggling through thick smoke, fire and uprooted trees. Burnt bodies were pulled out by locals and policemen.

In January 2019, 63-year-old General Rawat took charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff. This position was set up aiming to integrate the three services – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The “CDS” is the pivot of the modernisation of the defence forces.

Later, he was also appointed the head of the newly-created Department of Military Affairs.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, will brief parliament about the helicopter crash.

Several former army chiefs expressed grief and described the Mi-17 double engine chopper as a very stable aircraft which is used for VVIP flights.

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