At least 13 people, including Bipin Rawat, the country's chief defense staff, were killed in a helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The accident happened when the helicopter was about to land. A pre-crash video of the crashed helicopter has now surfaced. In this video, the helicopter came out of the fog and appeared in the sky. The bad weather at the scene was evident from a few seconds of video. Some locals are seen in this video.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh gave important information about the incident in the Lok Sabha today. Rajnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha that he would like to express his heartfelt condolences to the House today that an Indian Air Force helicopter crashed on the afternoon of December 8. CDS Bipin Rawat was also present in the helicopter. General Bipin Rawat was on his way to the Defense Service Staff College in Wellington. He was picked up by an Air Force MI17 helicopter and flown from Sulur Airbase at 11:48 a.m. The helicopter was scheduled to land in Wellington at 12:15 p.m. But before that, the helicopter lost contact with the air traffic control at 12.08 pm.
After the accident, some locals saw a forest fire. They then ran towards the forest and reached the crashed helicopter. After that the rescue squad also reached there. They took everyone from the crash site to a military hospital in Wellington. So far, 13 of the 14 people traveling in the helicopter have died. Among them were CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Army Adviser Brigadier Lidder, Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh and nine other Army Defense Forces personnel. Meanwhile, Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support and is undergoing treatment in Wellington, said Rajnath Singh.Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in Military Hospital, Wellington. All efforts are being made to save his life, said Singh in his statement in Lok Sabha on the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu
An inquiry has been ordered into the accident. An inquiry into the accident will be held under the chairmanship of Air Marshal Manvendra Singh. The last rites of CDS General Bipin Rawat will be performed with full military honours. The last rites of other military personnel will be performed with appropriate military honour,”said Rajnath Singh.