Official says at least three killed after a Russian-made chopper crashed in a dense forested area in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district.
A helicopter carrying India's defence chief General Bipin Rawat has crashed in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The 63-year-old chief of defence staff was travelling in a Russian-made Mi-17V5 chopper that "met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu", the Indian Air Force said on Twitter about Wednesday’s incident.
An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021
An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
"There are three to four dead at the crash site but we don't know the identities," a fire department official in Coonoor said.
"Some of the injured have been taken to the hospital," he said, adding around two dozen fire brigade vehicles were at the scene to douse a fire.
Rawat is India's first chief of defence staff, a position that the Indian government established in 2019, and is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He and his wife were on board along with other officers and were headed to the Defence Services Staff College.
Videos broadcast on Indian news channels showed a fiery wreck at the crash site in a dense forested area near the college in Nilgiris district.
Media reports said the chopper took off from Sulur Air Force Station on Wednesday afternoon and that some passengers had been taken to hospitals for treatment
Just heard the horrific news, of the crash of the helicopter carrying our CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and his family and colleagues. Hoping and praying that all of them are safe. The nation hopes and prays. pic.twitter.com/MlM7VSGz3E
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) December 8, 2021
Rawat’s credentials
Rawat comes from a military family with several generations having served in the Indian armed forces.
The general, who has four decades of service behind him, has commanded forces in Indian-administered Kashmir and along the Line of Actual Control bordering China.
He is credited with reducing insurgency on India's northeastern frontier and supervised a cross-border counter-insurgency operation into neighbouring Myanmar.
The air force said an inquiry was underway into the accident.
Source: AFP
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