An Indian Army chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and other senior officials has crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor on Wednesday. “An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu,” the Indian Air Force has confirmed in a tweet.
The 63-year-old chief of defence staff was travelling in a Russian-made Mi-17V5 chopper that “met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu”, the Air Force said. Pictures and videos from the crash site showed the helicopter in flames as local residents tried to douse it.
Four bodies have been recovered, three injured persons have been rescued from the IAF helicopter crash site in Tamil Nadu, according to a PTI report.
However, there was no immediate information on the condition of General Rawat, even as the IAF said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident, involving a Mi-17VH chopper that took from the Sulur IAF Station in nearby Coimbatore.
.As per reports, 3-4 senior officials were on board. CDS Rawat, his staff and some family members were reportedly present in the Mi-series chopper.
The Chief of Defence Staff was on his way to the Defence Staff College in Wellington.
The local military officers have reached the location and were told that locals have taken two bodies with 80% burns to a nearby hospital. Few bodies can be seen downhill in the area of the accident. Efforts are on to retrieve the bodies and check identities.(MINT)
The chopper was on its way from the Sulur IAF base to the Defence Services College (DSC) at Wellington when it crashed. The mishap happened at Nanjappanchathiram area reportedly due to poor visibility following heavy fog, according to reports.
