Indian Air Force Helicopter Crash: Confirmed 13 military officials dead: Gen Bipin Rawat CDS On Board, 13 Confirmed Dead

CHENNAI: CDS Bipin Rawat Chopper Crash Update: An Army chopper (IAF Mi-17V5) carrying Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and seven others crashed in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Apart from the crew, General Rawat's staff and family members were also among the nine people on board. The fatal crash left 13 people dead. A total of 14 people were on board the chopper. However, there is still no information on General Bipin Rawat.

Earlier, the Indian Air Force took to Twitter and wrote, "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," the Indian Air Force tweeted.

Here are the names of the passengers onboard:

    Gen Bipin Rawat
    Mrs Madhulika Rawat
    Brig LS Lidder
    Lt Col Harjinder Singh
    NK Gursewak Singh
    NK Jitendra Kumar
    L/NK Vivek Kumar
    LINK B Sai Teja
    Hav Satpal

According to the latest reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a Cabinet Committee on Security Meet at 6:30 PM at his residence.

An IAF chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and 13 others crashed near the upper Coonoor region at around noon on Wednesday.

The crash took place in the Nilgiris, at a distance of about 10 km from the helipad where it was to land with CDS Rawat, who was to attend a cadet interaction program today afternoon at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

Onboard the IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter among the military officials was also CDC Bipin Rawat’s wife, Madhulika Rawat. While an investigation into the cause of the incident is being looked into, top sources in Tamil Nadu police and the Indian military facility at Coonoor said five bodies have been found from the crash site and two persons have been taken to hospital with severe burn injuries.

Who is Madhulika Rawat ?

Daughter of late politician Mrigendra Singh and a native of Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, Madhulika Rawat, the wife of CDS Bipin Rawat is the President of AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association), one of the largest NGOs in India which helps in ensuring the welfare of wives, children, and dependents of Army personnel. Previously, Madhulika Rawat has been a part of many welfare programs and campaigns that aid the Veer Naris (Army widows) and differently-abled children.

Madhulika Rawat completed her studies in Delhi and completed her graduation in psychology from Delhi University. Apart from AWWA, she continues to do many types of social work, especially for cancer victims.

She has been a catalyst in empowering the Army wives and has also played a pivotal role in encouraging them to take courses in tailoring, knitting, and bag making along with beautician courses and making `Cakes and Chocolates' to make them financially independent. She also promotes the Health Awareness and Well Being of its members.

General Bipin Rawat and Madhulika Rawat are parents to two daughters.

General Bipin Rawat is the first and current Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India. He was appointed the same on 1 January 2020. Born in Pauri, Uttrakhand, Rawat’s family has been serving in the Indian Army for four generations. His wife Dr. Madhulika Rawat has been a constant support in his service to the nation.

Confirming the incident, the Indian Air Force tweeted: "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."

Sources said the Union Cabinet is currently on and Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the incident.

Army Chief General MM Naravane briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the incident of the crash of the military chopper. The defence Minister visited CDS Bipin Rawat's residence to brief the family of the current situation.

Visuals from the site of the Indian Air Force helicopter crash showed massive flames and locals helping with the immediate rescue operations. Several teams are at the site carrying out search and rescue operations.