Srinagar, 08-Dec; An Army chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his staff and at least one family member, has crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor, with no information yet about the condition of the CDS. Five bodies have been recovered after the crash took place in the Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur. Confirming the incident, the Indian Air Force tweeted:“An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.” Sources said the Union Cabinet is currently on and Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the incident.Visuals from the site of the Indian Air Force helicopter crash showed massive flames and locals helping with the immediate rescue operations. Several teams are at the site carrying out search and rescue operations. Local military officers have reached the location, ANI reported. Official sources said all the injured people on board the Mi-17V5 helicopter have been evacuated from the spot of the accident. The Chief of Defence Staff was on his way to the Defence Staff College in Wellington.Reacting to the news, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said they were praying for the wellbeing of those onboard. “V v sad to hear this. I pray for everyone’s safety,” Kejriwal said. “Received the news of an Army helicopter crash carrying CDS General Shri Bipin Rawat Ji and other senior Army officials in Tamilnadu. I am praying for their well-being and good health,” Chouhan tweeted. Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said: “Extremely sad to see the images of the chopper crash with CDS Bipin Rawat and his wife on board. Praying for the safety of all.”(CNS)
