Bipin Rawat: India’s top general killed in helicopter crash, says army

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The Indian Air Force has confirmed the death of India’s top military official in a helicopter crash in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

General Bipin Rawat and his wife, Madulika Rawat, were among the 14 people traveling in the helicopter when it went down shortly after they left the army base in Solor.

And on Wednesday evening, the Air Force confirmed in a statement that Major General Rawat and his wife had died, and that there was only one survivor of the accident.

The news sent shockwaves across India, where 63-year-old General Rawat was a well-known figure after he was named India’s first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) in 2019, a role designed to provide oversight over the army, navy and armed forces. Air Force combined.

“With great regret, it has now been confirmed that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs. Madulika Rawat and 11 other people on board died in the unfortunate incident,” the Air Force said in its statement. Earlier, it said that an Indian Air Force Mi-17V5 helicopter had crashed, and that an investigation had been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

The first news of the crash was accompanied by television pictures of the severely damaged wreckage of the helicopter, which caught fire, while local residents tried to put it out, while at least one eyewitness told Indian media that he saw the helicopter ignite during its landing and afterwards. The charred bodies of some passengers.

When the severity of the collapse became apparent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an emergency meeting of his security advisors and the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, canceled his official schedule.

Other prominent military figures were also listed as having been aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash, according to a passenger statement widely published by Indian media. Among them was Assistant Defense General Rawat Brigadier General L. S Leader and his Staff Lieutenant Colonel Harginder Singh.

People gather outside the residence of Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat in New Delhi

(Environmental Protection Agency)

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh was seen visiting General Rawat’s residence in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. He is likely to make a statement about the breakdown in Parliament on Thursday, according to state radio.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has instructed the local administration to provide the best possible medical care to the injured, at least some of whom died in hospital, and was due to visit the area where the accident occurred on Wednesday evening.

The Mi-17V5 helicopters of the Indian Army, like the model involved in the crash, are used in high-altitude operations and transportation of officials, including the Prime Minister.

A Russian-made military transport version of the Mi-8 helicopters, it is also capable of shooting down tactical air attack forces.

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