Rajnath Singh to visit President Kovind today to apprise him of IAF chopper crash details

In a key development, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will call on President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday to apprise him of the details regarding the IAF helicopter crash. CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and nine other Armed Forces personnel including the Air Force helicopter crew lost their lives in this incident that took place in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. At present, the mortal remains of the deceased are being taken to the Sulur Air Base and will arrive in the national capital by today evening.

Rajnath Singh briefs Parliament

Earlier in the day, Singh briefed both Houses of the Parliament on the chopper crash that claimed 13 lives. He explained that Sulur Air Base Air Traffic Control lost contact with the Mi-17 V5 Helicopter at about 12.08 pm barely a few minutes before its scheduled landing at Wellington where the CDS was going to interact with the student officers. He also revealed that the IAF had ordered a tri-services enquiry headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh who is serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command. 

Explaining the sequence of events, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated, "The Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter took off from Sulur Air Base at 11:48 AM yesterday and was expected to land at Wellington by 12:15 PM. Air Traffic Control at Sulur Air Base lost contact with the helicopter at approximately 12:08 PM. Subsequently, few locals spotted a fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot where they observed the wreckage of military helicopter engulfed in flames. Rescue teams from the local administration in the vicinity reached the site and attempted to recover the survivors from the crash site." 

Currently, Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in the Military Hospital at Wellington and all efforts are being made to save his life. Speaking to the media, Singh's uncle and Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh quoted doctors as saying that the next 48 hours are crucial. On Twitter, President Kovind observed, "My thoughts are with Gp Capt Varun Singh who has survived the tragic chopper crash. I pray for his speedy recovery and long life".