IAF helicopter crash: 'He promised to take us on vacation,' says slain Army man's wife

A pall of gloom descended on Takdah, a sleepy hamlet in West Bengal Darjeeling district, on Thursday as locals learnt about the death of Havaldar Satpal Rai who was among the 13 people killed in the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.

Rai, who was a native of Takdah, is survived by wife, a daughter and a son who is also in the Army.

The helicopter crash on Wednesday killed India's first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, and 12 others.

Rai's distraught widow said that he had last come home during Diwali.

"He was supposed to come home in April again and had promised us a vacation to some place," she said.

His body is likely to arrive in Takdah on Friday, a neighbour of the Rai family home said. 

Expressing deep condolences, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Rai's mother.

"I sincerely express my deepest condolence to the unfortunate and sudden demise of Late  Havildar Satpal Rai due to the helicopter crash yesterday at Coonoor, Tamil Nadu at the age of only 40 years," an official statement quoted Banerjee as saying.

Rai was the personal security of Chief of Defence Staff Rawat, she said.

The chief minister said that Rai's sacrifice for the country will never be forgotten.

"The demise of this brave son of the hills is an irreparable loss. We will always remember the sacrifice of Bengal's brave son Satpal Rai," she said. 

Banerjee also expressed condolences to the kin of all other defence personnel who died in the crash.

Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista also expressed his condolences on the demise of Rai