India

IAF chopper crash: 13 including Bipin Rawat, his wife confirmed dead

A screengrab of the video taken near the spot in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

New Delhi: 13 of the 14 personnel involved in the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu have been confirmed dead including Indian defence chief Bipin Rawat and his wife on Wednesday, Indian Air Force confirmed

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat’s wife Madhulika Rawat, his DA Brigadier LS Lidder, his SO Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh were among the 14 people on board the military chopper that crashed on Wednesday afternoon near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh is monitoring the situation on the crash, reports said, adding, he has briefed Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi about the crash and the Indian Air Force chief has been asked to reach the site.

The Indian Air Force has issued a list of names of General Rawat’s staff who were also on-board the crashed chopper.

The names include CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kumar, L/NK Vivek Kumar, L/NK B Sai Teja and Hav Satpal.

The Indian Air Force earlier confirmed that the CDS was on- board an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter that met with an accident earlier today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the accident.

Rawat was appointed as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by Narendra Modi’s government in late 2019. The position was set up with the aim of integrating India’s three services – the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.

 

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