New Delhi,Nilgiris/Dec, 8 : Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board an Indian Air Force helicopter died in an accident on Wednesday near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the IAF said.
“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” IAF tweeted.”Gp Capt Varun Singh SC, Directing Staff at DSSC with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington,” it added.Nilgiri’s Collector earlier said 13 of the 14 occupants of the IAF helicopter that crashed in Tamil Nadu have been killed and there is one survivor, a male.”Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu. His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our Armed Forces and the country,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.he IAF said a Court of Inquiry had been ordered into the accident, involving a Mi-17VH choppper that took from the Sulur IAF station in nearby Coimbatore.There were 14 people, including the pilots, on board.Along with General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Naik Vivek Kumar, Naik B Sai Teja, Havaldar Satpal and pilots were travelling in the chopper.The Chief of Defence Staff was on his way to the Defence Staff College in Wellington. The helicopter crashed in Katteri-Nanchappanchathram area near Coonoor in the hilly Nilgiris district.
The helicopter was on its way from Sulur in Coimbatore to Defence Staff College in Wellington where Rawat, along with Chief of Army Staff MM Naravane, was slated to participate in an event later.The chopper crashed in a forest area, reportedly due to poor visibility following heavy fog, official sources said.
Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said information about the helicopter accident in Coonoor in Tamil Nadu will be shared by the ministry concerned at an appropriate time.
“The entire information about the accident that has taken place will be shared by the concerned ministry at an appropriate time,” Thakur told reporters when asked about the helicopter crash involving Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat.
