A search team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has retrieved the black box of the ill-fated M 17 helicopter that crashed near Coonoor in Ooty leading to the loss of lives of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 11 other armed personnel.
The black box was recovered by a 25 special team of Air force officers led by Wing Commander R. Bhardwaj. According to reports, the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder seem to be perfect right now. The black box can reveal the data about the helicopter's final flight situation and other aspects.
The black box was retrieved in the wake of authorities expanding the search area from 300 metres to one km from the accident spot. Two boxes including the flight data recorder were recovered from the site, official sources told PTI, adding, they are likely to be taken to Delhi or Bengaluru to ascertain the cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, a six-member special medical team from Coimbatore is attending the treatment of the lone survivor in the Coonoor helicopter crash, Group captain Varun Singh who is struggling for his life at the Wellington Army hospital. A Shaurya Chakra awardee, he has suffered 60 per cent burns.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, who is at Nilgiris, has already communicated to the Army team that the Tamil Nadu government would support the medical treatment of Group captain Varun Singh.
READ MORE: RIP CDS General Bipin Rawat: The man who was born to serve the Indian Army
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