Defence minister Rajnath Singh is likely to brief parliament on the crash of an army chopper in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu tomorrow. The Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, his wife and staff members were among the 13 people who died in the chopper crash in Coonoor, a spot between Coimbatore and Sulur, earlier today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was briefed about the crash by Mr Singh soon after it took place, is meeting the Cabinet Committee of Security, a group of senior ministers.
The country's top decision-making body on internal security and defence policy, chaired by the Prime Minister, includes the ministers of Defence, Home, External Affairs and Finance. In December 2019, they had named the four-star general as the first Chief Of Defence Staff.
Mr Singh, who for now, will not travel to Tamil Nadu, tweeted:
Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 8, 2021
His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our Armed Forces and the country.
The Indian Air Force, which confirmed the crash earlier today, has tweeted the news of General Rawat's death.
With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021
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.
Rescue and relief operations at the spot took several hours, the job being made difficult by the terrain. The Tamil Nadu government sent senior officials to the crash site. A medical team from Ooty and experts from Coimbatore also rushed to the spot.
The chopper had taken off from the army base in Coimbatore's Sulur and was on way to Wellington in Udhagamandalam. General Rawat, it is believed, was to visit the Defence Services Staff College located there.
The Mi series choppers are the workhorse of the Indian Air Force and are used in high-altitude operations. They are also used to ferry VIPs, including the Prime Minister.
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