Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat.
Highlights
- CDS General Bipin Rawat, wife Madhulika, 11 others have died in the chopper crash
- Sources say Mi-17V5 had undergone all major check before flying
- IAF has ordered an inquiry into the incident to ascertain the cause of the accident
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, wife Madhulika, 11 others died on Wednesday after a military chopper in which they were travelling to Tamil Nadu crash-landed In Coonoor.
According to Air Force sources, before take-off, Mi-17V5 flying condition was thoroughly checked.
Sources say the chopper's external check was done. It was conducted by pilots and maintenance staff. The chopper was being maintained properly.
Also, before flying, Met report, air pressure, and the temperature were duly checked. According to initial reports, there were 14 people on board the ill-fated chopper.
However, the official passenger list mentioned names of nine people: CDS General Bipin Rawat, Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kumar, L/NK Vivek Kumar.
Reports say 13 personnel out of a total of 14 have been confirmed dead.
The force said that an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
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