New Delhi: A day after Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence personnel died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Addressing the Lower House, Singh said that the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying Gen Rawat and others had left Sulur IAF station in Tamil Nadu around 11.48 am and was supposed to land at DSSC in Wellington at Udhagamandalam at 12:15 pm. The ATC at Sulur lost contact with the chopper at around 12:08 pm. Later, some locals saw the chopper in flames and rushed to the accident site. The local administration sent a rescue team to the crash site which tried to evacuate the survivors. The injured were at soo sent to a military hospital in Wellington.
Singh said 14 people were onboard the helicopter out of which 13 people lost their lives. CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and Brigadier LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja were killed in the crash incident, he informed the Lok Sabha.
The last rites of CDS General Bipin Rawat other military personnel will be performed with appropriate military honour, the defence minister informed.
Lok Sabha observed two-minute silence on the demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and other personnel in a military helicopter crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
Indian Air Force has ordered a tri-service inquiry into the military chopper crash. The investigation will be led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. The inquiry team reached Wellington yesterday itself and started the investigation, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Lok Sabha.
