An IAF chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, his wife, Madhulika Rawat and 11 others, has crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor.
Only one survived and is being treated in the hospital.
The crash took place at Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur.
The IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Army Chief General MM Naravane briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the incident of the crash of the military chopper. The defence Minister visited CDS Bipin Rawat’s residence to brief the family of the current situation.
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, it was reported.
Official sources said all the injured people on board the Mi-17V5 helicopter have been evacuated from the spot of the accident. The Chief of Defence Staff was on his way to the Defence Staff College in Wellington.
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