NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force has confirmed that Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter accident in Tamil Nadu, in what can only be described as a huge loss for the country.
General Rawat was flying from the Sulur IAF Station to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Coonoor, when his IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed at 12:20 p.m. in a forest region in the Niligris district.
“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” an official communique from IAF read.
The loss of CDS was also mentioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Twitter.
An IAF Mi 17 V5 chopper carrying the CDS and nine other passengers was involved in a terrible accident near Coonoor about midday today. The ill-fated chopper had a total of 14 passengers and crew members on board.
CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, 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, and Hav Satpal were among the passengers, according to ANI.
According to the IAF, the helicopter was a Mi-17V5, and an investigation has been initiated.
Reports said that the accident site was shrouded in dense mist. The incident was apparently caused by hazy circumstances, which resulted in limited visibility. The chopper seems to be engulfed in flames in several of the images.
Rawat, 63, was the country’s first chief of defence staff, a position created in 2019 to improve coordination amongst the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
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