Tamil Nadu Helicopter Crashed Passengers List Shows CDS Bipin Rawat's Wife Also On Board The Ill-Fated Helicopter

Tamil Nadu Helicopter Crashed Passengers List Shows CDS Bipin Rawat's Wife Also On Board The Ill-Fated Helicopter

Tamil Nadu: According to passenger details, Bipin Rawat, Madhulika Rawat, Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, NK Gurusewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kumar, L/NK Vivek Kumar, L/NK B sai Teja, Hav Satpal were flying from Delhi to Sulur on the chopper.

 

New Delhi: An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat crashed at Coonoor in Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Besides Rawat, his wife and a total of 14 people including his staff were present in the Mi-series chopper that crashed between Coimbatore and Sulur in Tamil Nadu.

 

Rawat, his wife, defence assistant, security commandos and an IAF pilot were on board the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter when it crashed between Coimbatore and Sulur in Tamil Nadu, ANI news agency reported. CDS Bipin Rawat was en route to Wellington in Coonoor from the Indian Air Force base in Sulur near Coimbatore, as per sources.

 

According to passenger details, Bipin Rawat, Madhulika Rawat, Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, NK Gurusewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kumar, L/NK Vivek Kumar, L/NK B sai Teja, Hav Satpal were flying from Delhi to Sulur on the chopper. The passenger list from Sulur to Wellington is not out yet.

 

Visuals from the site of the Indian Air Force helicopter crash showed massive flames and locals helping with the immediate rescue operations. Several teams are at the site carrying out search and rescue operations. Local military officers have reached the location and were told that locals have taken two bodies with 80 per cent burns to a local hospital while more bodies were seen downhill, ANI news agency reported.

 

The Indian Air Force confirmed the incident on Twitter and said an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. "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 IAF tweeted.

 

According to reports, the helicopter caught fire after crash-landing. As soon as the local administration learned about the mishap, they rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation with the help of locals.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took stock of the situation and directed officials to rush to the site. He later briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident.