An Indian army helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat and 13 others crashed Wednesday in Tamil Nadu.
So far, 13 deaths are confirmed by the sources.
General Rawat’s wife, his Defence Assistant, security commandos and Indian Air Force personnel were also among the 14 onboard.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed the news via a tweet that the CDS was on the flight.
He had taken a flight from Delhi to Sulur earlier today and that flight manifest had listed nine people.
The crash took place in the Nilgiris. It was shortly after the Mi-series helicopter took off from the army base in Sulur that it crashed. The Army chopper was heading to the Defence Staff Services College in Wellington in the Nilgiris.
The defence establishment got to know of the incident from the villagers of Katteri who had informed the district administration.
The wreckage can be seen scattered on a steep hillside. Also, the rescue work is on at the site currently. Charred bodies were pulled out by locals and policemen.
63-year-old General Rawat took charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2019.
The position was set up with the aim of integrating the three services – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Later, he was appointed the head of the newly-created Department of Military Affairs.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will shortly brief the parliament about the Army helicopter crash.
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