An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
A military helicopter with the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on board, among many others, crashed on Wednesday near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force said.
The status of Gen. Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat, who was also onboard, was not known. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Updates:
Rajnath briefs PM Modi about crash, Stalin to go to Coonoor
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is monitoring the situation and a meeting of senior Defence Ministry officials is on. He has briefed PM Narendra Modi about the crash. He isn’t visiting the spot, according to official sources.
Mr Singh has asked the Air Force chief to visit the site, a defence source said.
Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin will go to Coonoor on Wednesday evening in the wake of the helicopter crash. Mr. Stalin will fly by a chartered flight at 4.45 p.m.
IAF tweets
“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,” the IAF tweeted.
The wreckage where a helicopter carrying Gen. Bipin Rawat and others crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu
The helicopter which took off from Sulur air base, where they had a brief halt, was on its way to Defence Services Staff College in Wellington with 14 people onboard including some of his staff, it has been learnt.
The helicopter caught fire on impact on the ground and search and rescue efforts were immediately launched.
"Hoping for the safety of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and others onboard the chopper. Prayers for speedy recovery," tweeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
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