New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay last respects to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other personnel who lost their lives in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday at around 9 pm today.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and services chiefs would also be present.
The mortal remains of CDS and other Armed Forces personnel will reach Delhi around 8 pm today.
Some of the family members of the personnel killed in the military aircraft crash will also be present.
The sources said that the four bodies including that of General Rawat, his wife and Brigadier LS Lidder have been positively identified.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others, who were on board IAF’s Mi-17V5 helicopter, died in the crash on Wednesday.
The mortal remains were today brought to Madras Regimental Centre from Military Hospital, Wellington in Nilgiris district. People paid floral tribute to the deceased here.
The government today ordered a ‘tri service’ enquiry into the accident.
The enquiry will be headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command.
Both Houses of Parliament observed two-minutes silence on the demise of 13 people.
According to the sources, the black box of the chopper has been recovered.
Meanwhile, a team of the state’s Forensic Science Department also visited the crash site.
A total of 14 people were onboard the IAF’s helicopter. Group Captain Varun Singh is the lone survivor of the crash and is presently on life support in Military Hospital, Wellington.
Those who died in the crash include General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh and nine other Armed Forces personnel including the Air Force helicopter crew.
Their names are Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja.