In a tragic incident, an IAF helicopter carrying senior Defence officials crashed near Coonoor in Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. As per reports, fourteen people were on board the military chopper that crashed between Coimbatore & Sulur in Tamil Nadu.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, along with 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 & Hav Satpal and IAF pilots were on board chopper that crashed.
The officials are carrying out rescue operations. As per the latest update, five people on board the chopper have died, informed Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ramachandran. According to eyewitnesses, they have found more bodies trapped under the debris of the chopper. The health condition of the patients sent to the hospital remains critical.
The Indian Air Force tweeted, “An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS General 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.”
A report claimed that CDS Bipin Rawat has been admitted to a hospital for treatment. Bodies recovered from the site of the crash have been taken to Military Hospital, Wellington in Tamil Nadu, according to reports.