New Delhi, December 08, 2021 (PPI-OT):General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, died today after a military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu. General Rawat’s wife, travelling with him, was also killed. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has confirmed his death in a tweet.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) in a tweet also expressed deep regret and said, “it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,”. The IAF had confirmed that an Mi-17 V5 helicopter with General Rawat on board had “met with an accident near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu”. The Air Force also said it had ordered an Inquiry into what happened.

The helicopter crashed shortly after it took off from the Air Force base in Sulur at 11.45 am, Coimbatore, for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills. The General was heading to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. It was making its descent and would have landed in 10 more minutes when it came down, barely 10 km from a road.

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