Hours after his helicopter crashed in Tamil Nadu, General Bipin Rawat's death was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who tweeted about the "exceptional courage and diligence" of India's top military officer.
Earlier this evening, the Defence Minister visited General Rawat's home in Delhi and briefed the Prime Minister, who is meeting this evening with top ministers who are members of the Cabinet Committee on Security.
General Rawat, his wife and 11 other people were killed after the air force helicopter they were travelling in crashed in around noon near the town of Coonoor.
General Rawat, 63, was appointed as India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in late 2019.
The dead include four crew members of the Mi-17V5 helicopter, the Air Force said in a tweet. The lone survivor is Group Captain Varun Singh, currently under treatment at the Military Hospital in Wellington.
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