Army helicopter carrying CDS General Bipin Rawat crashes in Tamil Nadu

An Army helicopter carrying about 3-4 senior officials including 'top' officers crashed near Coonoor in the nearby hilly Nilgiris district on Wednesday, police sources said.

The chopper was on its way from the Sulur IAF base to the Defence Services College (DSC) at Wellington when it crashed, they said.

The mishap happened at Nanjappanchathiram area amid heavy mist and early visuals showed the helicopter in flames. There was no immediate information on possible casualty or injuries.

Indian Air Force was quoted by news agency as saying that an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

According to sources as quoted by ANI, CDS Bipin Rawat, his staff and some family members were in the Mi-series chopper that crashed between Coimbatore and Sulur in Tamil Nadu. Search and rescue operations have been launched from nearby bases.

Sources said that the local military officers have reached the location and were told that locals have taken two bodies with 80 per cent burns to a local hospital. Few bodies can be seen downhill in the area of the accident. Efforts are on to retrieve the bodies and check identities.

With PTI inputs