India's defence chief to be laid to rest with full military honours
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NEW DELHI • The bodies of India's defence chief and 12 others who died in a helicopter crash were set to be transferred yesterday to New Delhi, where the top general will be laid to rest with full military honours, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 defence personnel were en route to a military staff college in southern India on Wednesday when the air force helicopter came down near the town of Coonoor in Tamil Nadu state.
Only one of the 14 on board survived. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Gen Rawat, 63, was appointed as India's first chief of defence staff by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in late 2019.
The position was set up with the aim of integrating the army, navy and air force.
In a brief statement in Parliament, Mr Singh said the Mi-17 V5 helicopter took off at 11.48am on Wednesday from Sulur Air Base.
The base lost contact with the aircraft seven minutes before it was scheduled to land in a hillside military area at 12.15pm.
"Locals spotted a fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot, where they observed the wreckage of (the) military helicopter engulfed in flames," Mr Singh said.
The lone survivor, an air force group captain, is on life support at a military hospital.
"All efforts are being made to save his life," Mr Singh said.
REUTERS
