12/08/2021
New Delhi, Dec. 8: Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife were among 13 killed after an IAF chopper they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the Indian Force said in a tweet.
According to the Indian Media, The crash happened at a distance of about 10 km from the helipad where it was to land. Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident. According to sources, Singh will brief Parliament on the incident tomorrow. See photos from the incident site here.
Sources earlier said that at least three injured people from the crash were taken to a nearby hospital. The crash took place in the Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur.