Chopper crash: Mortal remains of CDS Rawat, others to reach Delhi by Thursday evening

New Delhi: The mortal remains of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife along with other armed forces personnel who died today after a military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu is expected to arrive in Delhi by Thursday evening, informed sources.

The Indian Air Force today informed that General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other persons on board the Mi-17 V5 helicopter were killed after the aircraft crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

Cremation of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife to be done on Friday (December 10) in Delhi Cantonment. Their mortal remains are expected to arrive in the National Capital in a military plane by tomorrow evening.

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2021

“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the Indian Air Force (IAF) tweeted.

The helicopter crashed around noon shortly after it took off from the Air Force base in Sulur, Coimbatore, for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills. The General was heading to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course today.

From childhood to early days in service, photos of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash earlier today.

General Rawat, his wife, and 11 Army & IAF personnel died in a chopper crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu today.

(Source: Family) pic.twitter.com/7Rm6x9JbFU

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2021

The Indian Air Force has issued a list of names of General Rawat’s staff who were on-board the crashed chopper. These include Brigadier LS Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kumar, L/NK Vivek Kumar, L/NK B Sai Teja, and Hav Satpal are among those on board the aircraft.

The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the accident.