Defense chief general Bipin Rawat has been killed in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.
Rawat, along with his wife Madhulika, and 12 other personals of armed forces were on board a military chopper taking off from Tamil Nadu. And shortly after the take-off of their craft, it dropped to the forest area in Connoor. 12 others have also lost their lives.
It took a few hours for fire department to reach the remote spot, and it was being speculated if Mr Rawat was going to make it out of the gruesome accident scene, but unfortunately it has now been confirmed that he couldn’t make it.
#BREAKING Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika killed in the #IndianAirForce chopper crash in Connoor in #TamilNadu . 11 others have also lost their lives.@DeccanHerald
— Sivapriyan E.T.B | சிவப்பிரியன் ஏ.தி.ப (@sivaetb) December 8, 2021
“An IAF Mi-17 V5 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,” tweeted the Air Force.
The Russian-made Mi-17 V5 chopper had taken off from the Air Force base in Sulur, Coimbatore, for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills.
Reports of the crash emerged around 12.20 pm, while the confirmation of Bipin Rawat’s passing was made around 18:10.
Mr. Rawat was a four star general of the Indian Army. He was the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India, appointed to the post in 2019 and assumed office in January 2020. He was also previously the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the 26th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.
Thoughts and prayers going out to the families of the deceased.
This is truly a major tragedy!