Ooty: An Army chopper carrying 14 passengers including the crew has crashed at kattery park, Nanjappa chatra, Coonor in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. According to media reports, 11 are reportedly killed in the accident. Their bodies have been recovered from the site. Three others have been seriously injured. The Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife were on board and their condition is yet to be known. The chopper was on its way from the sulur IAF base to the defence services college (DSC) at Wellington when it crashed.
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. Three passengers have been rescued according to reports.
The chopper crashed in a forest area, reportedly due to poor visibility following heavy fog, official sources said according to PTI.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is monitoring the situation following crash of IAF chopper carrying CDS Bipin Rawat & others. He is about to make a statement in the parliament. A meeting of senior Defence Ministry officials is underway. Singh has briefed the PM about the crash.
8 ambulances and emergeny teams have arrived on the spot. Three members found seriously injured and have been taken to the hospital. Indian Airforce in a statement said that an enquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Tamil Nadu Chief minister MK Stalin to leave to Conoor at 5pm today.
More details awaited.