Bipin Rawat, Wife & 7 Defence Personnel Were Onboard

A helicopter carrying India’s Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, crashed near Ooty in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Details, of the injured and of any possible casualties are awaited.

Sources said that at least three injured people from the crash have been taken to a nearby hospital, but their identities are not confirmed yet.

According to sources, Rawat’s staff and some family members were also on board in a Mi-series helicopter.

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.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021

A total of nine persons, including CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lt Colonel Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and B Sai Teja and Havaldar Sapal were on board the ill-fated Mi-17V5 chopper, reports Times Now.

Some media reports said that Bipin Rawat and three others were injured in the helicopter crash incident, while one person is missing.

Visuals from the army helicopter crash site near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

CDS Bipin Rawat and other officials were onboard. Rescue ops underway. #CDS #HelicopterCrash #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/Y8vHFUrOMR
— Shilpa (@Shilpa1308) December 8, 2021

Rawat is the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff appointed on January 1, 2020.

He was appointed the head of the newly created Department of Military Affairs in one of the most significant reorganization in Defence Ministry in decades.

He had served as the Chief of the Army for three years before taking over as the CDS.