A total of fourteen people were on board the helicopter.
The Chief of the Defense Staff of India, General Bipin Rawat, his wife and eleven other people died on Wednesday after their helicopter crashed in the town of Coonoor, in the state of Tamil Nadu, confirmed the minister of Defense of the country, Rajnath Singh.
Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu.
His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our Armed Forces and the country.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 8, 2021
“I am deeply disturbed by the sudden death of the Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, his wife and eleven other members of the Armed Forces in a very regrettable helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu,” Singh said. “General Rawat served the country with exceptional courage and diligence,” he added .
General Rawat had served the country with exceptional courage and diligence. As the first Chief of Defence Staff he had prepared plans for jointness of our Armed Forces.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 8, 2021
A total of fourteen people were on board the helicopter. As detailed by the Air Force on its Twitter account, one of the aircraft’s crew, Captain Varun Singh, is currently under treatment in a military hospital.
The causes of the event are still being investigated. According to preliminary data, the helicopter crashed in a wooded area due to poor visibility caused by heavy fog.
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.— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021