In an unfortunate incident, a military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday in which India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was travelling along with others.
News agency ANI has cited sources saying that 13 out of the 14 people on board have died in the tragedy. Their identities will be confirmed through DNA testing. However, there is no official information on the casualties yet.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the residence of CDS Rawat in New Delhi and several other key personalities, including Army Chief Gen MM Naravane.
The defence minister has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the incident and the government is likely to issue a statement in the Parliament about the crash on Thursday.
There is no official information yet on the condition of General Rawat, however, it is being said that he is responding to the treatment. Along with General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Naik Vivek Kumar, Naik B. Sai Teja, Havaldar Satpal and pilots were travelling in the chopper.
General Rawat was on his way from the Sulur IAF Station to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington in Coonoor when the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter in which he was travelling crashed in a forested area in the Niligris district around 12:20 pm.
The IAF said that an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
