India’s first Combined Defence Services (CDS) Head Bipin Rawat’s chopper Mi17V5 helicopter, crash resulted in Some unanswered questions in social media
As Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Rawat was overseeing the implementation of an ambitious tri-services modernisation plan to bring synergy among the armed forces and enhance their overall combat capabilities the crash caught national interest at large
Apart from CDS Bipin Rawat’s and his wife Other senior military officials who were killed in the chopper were
Brigadier L.S. Lidder,
Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh,
Naik Gursewak Singh,
Naik Jitender Kumar,
Naik Vivek Kumar,
Naik B. Sai Teja,
Havaldar Satpal and team of 4 pilots.
13 of the 14 travellers were killed and Tami nadu State Cheif Minister M.K Stalin who rushed to spot has twitted and wished Group Captain Varun Singh speedy recovery Who currently undergoes treatment at Military hospital in Connor.
According to Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J. Radhakrishnan a special medical team has been sent to Coonoor to provide treatment to the injured.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply anguished” by the sudden demise of Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others in an “extremely unfortunate helicopter” accident.
“Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiri Hills) to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course today,” the IAF earlier said in a statement.
Many Locals who saw the chopper crash helped in rescue operations.
An eyewitness said, it was misty, may be due to which the chopper hit a tree and went down.
He said he reached the spot and saw the chopper was upside down and immediately caught fire.
Bipin along with his wife and seven staff, boarded a flight at Delhi for the Sulur IAF base near Coimbatore at 8:47 AM .
They landed in Sulur at 11:34 am. From there, they boarded the Mi17V5 helicopter at 11:48.
At 12:22 pm, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) lost contact with the chopper, which crashed in a forest area around 7 km from Coonoor.
The bodies been taken to the Military Hospital in Wellington cantonment. Considering Defense affairs the hospital is surrounded by a strong contingent of police personnel.
The IAF said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident. The report is expected in one month.
A former Wing Commander of the IAF told IANS that ‘based on the visuals on the news channels, the helicopter must have crashed with a strong impact and exploded’.
The chopper will have a black box and a study of that could throw more light on the cause of the accident.
