An IAF helicopter carrying the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and twelve others crashed in Coonoor in the Nilgiris district on Wednesday. Five persons are feared dead, while the status of Gen Rawat is not yet known. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reached General Bipin Rawat's residence, to brief the family of the current situation. A number of political leaders expressed their grief over the tragic incident. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ended midway an administrative review meeting on Monday as soon as she came to know that an army chopper, with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat on board, crashed in Tamil Nadu. "We have received sad news. I am shocked. I have no words to express my grief. I am ending this meeting," she said and left the venue of the meeting. An Indian Air Force helicopter with Gen Rawat on board met with an accident on Wednesday near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin has directed Nilgiris District administration to help the Army in the rescue operations. Fourteen people were aboard the military chopper that crashed. They included CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kr, L/Naik Vivek Kumar, L/Naik B Sai Teja andHav Satpal.The chopper crashed 10 minutes before it was to reach its destination