IAF Chopper Crash with Bipin Rawat, 13 dead, PM Modi call emergency meeting 6 pm

13 of the total 14 people on board the Indian Air Force’s Mi-17VH chopper were killed after the IAF chopper crashed with Bipin Rawat in the hilly Nilgiris district between Coimbatore and Sulur in Tamil Nadu today. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 other Army personnel were on board the Mi-Series helicopter.

The chopper crashed in a forest area, reportedly due to poor visibility following heavy fog. The identities of the bodies killed in the crash will be confirmed through DNA testing. Meanwhile, the IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry into the accident, involving a Mi-17VH chopper that took from the Sulur IAF Station in nearby Coimbatore.

The IAF chopper was on its way from the Sulur IAF base to the Defence Services College (DSC) at Wellington when it crashed. The mishap happened at the Nanjappanchathiram area amid heavy mist and early visuals showed the helicopter in flames.

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According to reports, the helicopter caught fire after crash-landing. As soon as the local administration learned about the mishap, they rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation with the help of locals.

Fourteen people were on board the military chopper that crashed between Coimbatore & Sulur in Tamil Nadu. They included CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kr, L/Naik Vivek Kumar, L/Naik B Sai Teja & Hav Satpal.

So far, 13 charred bodies have been recovered from the helicopter. Reports say that the one person in critical condition.