IAF chopper with CDS Bipin Rawat onboard crashes in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor; Four killed, three injured
An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and twelve others crashed in Coonoor in the Nilgiris district on Wednesday. Four persons are feared dead, while the status of Gen Rawat is not yet known.
The collision is thought to have been caused by bad weather. On Wednesday morning, a helicopter carrying nine top military personnel took off from Coimbatore’s Sulur Air Base, destined for Wellington in the Nilgiris. The chopper crashed 10 minutes before it was scheduled to arrive. Police, firefighters, and army officials all hurried to the scene.
The Indian Air Force announced that a Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying CDS Gen Bipin Rawat was involved in an accident in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday. The IAF stated, “An Inquiry has been ordered to determine the reason of the accident.”
#WATCH | Latest visuals from the spot (between Coimbatore and Sulur) where a military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu. CDS Bipin Rawat, his staff and some family members were in the chopper. pic.twitter.com/6oxG7xD8iW
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2021