A total of 14 people including CDS General Bipin Rawat and his wife were on board the helicopter.
In a tragic incident, an Indian Air Force helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on board crashed on Wednesday near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the IAF said.
At the time of writing this report, there was no official information on the condition of Gen Rawat. It is being said that he is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
The Indian Air Force tweeted and informed about the crash of this helicopter. A total of 14 people including crew members were on board this helicopter that was on its way from Sulur in Coimbatore to DSC in Wellington where Rawat, along with Chief of Army Staff MM Naravane, was slated to participate in an event later.
At the same time, after the news of the accident, politicians across the country have prayed for his safety.
After receiving the news of the accident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has wished the CDS to be healthy and safe.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also tweeted and wished CDS Rawat, his wife and the people in the chopper a speedy recovery.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also tweeted and wished for the safety and speedy recovery of CDS Rawat.
Goa CM Dr Pramod Sawant has also wished for the safety of CDS Rawat and others regarding this accident.
Notably, TV visuals showed the badly damaged chopper in flames, possibly under the impact of the crash. Apparently, a major tragedy was averted as the helicopter fell at some distance away from a human habitation, averting possible mass casualties.
The accident site was a scene of despair with trees being reduced to broken pieces under the impact of the crash, flames from the chopper engulfing the wooden logs resulting in billowing smoke and personnel scurrying to douse the fire, including using buckets and water hose. What seemed to be some charred bodies were also seen lying around.
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