India’s top military chief Gen Rawat dies in helicopter crash
Asia-Pacific, News December 8, 2021 1 Comment on India’s top military chief Gen Rawat dies in helicopter crashUpdated on December 9, 2021.
Indian Air Force confirmed that top military official Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 other army personnel have been killed in the helicopter crash.
The Indian Air Force helicopter Mi-17 carrying 14 people including Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat crashed at around 12.20 pm (local time) in the Nilgiri Hills, around 7 kilometers from Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor town.
Indian media sources confirm that 13 of the 14 personnel involved in the Indian Air Force helicopter crash have been confirmed dead. Identities of the bodies are underway through DNA testing.
According to sources, the helicopter crashed in a forest area shortly after it took off, due to heavy fog and poor visibility.
General Bipin, his wife, and 12 other army personnel, including his Defence Assistant, and Air Force officers, were on board the Mi-17V5 helicopter.
The helicopter was on its way from the Sulur Indian Air Force base near Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore to the Defence Services College at Wellington in Udhagamandalam, where General Bipin was supposed to give a lecture when the chopper crashed.
Indian Air Force released the names of the passengers in the Mi-17 crashed helicopter: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his spouse Mrs. Madhulika Rawat, Rawat’s Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh. While others who died in the crash were identified as the Air Force helicopter crew, including, Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja.
Earlier India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati said three people who were injured during the crash have been taken to a hospital at Wellington cantonment in Nilgiris district. Later reports confirmed that the rescued suffered severe burn injuries.
Soon after the chopper crashed, emergency teams and local villagers arrived at the site in a forested area to conduct the rescue mission, however, the terrain made the access to the wreckage difficult.
Earlier media sources quoted Tamil Nadu forest minister Ramachandran saying that “eight bodies have been recovered from the crash site”.
Indian Air Force has ordered the inquiry of the crashed chopper. India’s Air Marshal Manvendra Singh will be heading the tri-services inquiry.
Indian Air Force said in a tweet, “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.”
The Mi-17V-5 is a twin-engine Russian-made transport helicopter. It is regularly used for high-altitude operations, and used by India to carry VIPs, including the Prime Minister.
General Bipin Singh Rawat was the Indian Army’s four-star general. Rawat served as the first Chief of Defence Staff of India and assumed office in January 2020.
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[…] former Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat was also killed during an air crash along with 13 other people in December 2021. A Russian-made M-17 helicopter crashed while […]