English
Chennai: As the mortal remains of 13 people, including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 armed personnel, who died in the ill-fated IAF helicopter crash near Coonoor, were being shifted to Sulur Air Force Station near Coimbatore, locals showered flower petals as ambulances carrying the bodies.
Enroute to the Sulur Air Force station from Madras Regimental Centre in Nilgiris district, people stood on the roadsides and showered flowers on the ambulances carrying mortal remains of CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel who died in the crash. In the visuals from the site, locals can also be heard raising slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Veera Vanakkam”.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Locals shower flower petals as ambulances carrying the mortal remains of CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel who died in the Coonoor Helicopter Crash, leave for Sulur airbase from Madras Regimental Centre in Nilgiris district pic.twitter.com/dWhw9kG3l9
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021
#WATCH| Tamil Nadu: Locals shower flower petals & chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as ambulances carrying mortal remains of CDS Gen Rawat, his wife & other personnel who died in Coonoor military chopper crash, arrive at Sulur airbase from Madras Regimental Centre in Nilgiris district pic.twitter.com/fhVIDaf5FL
— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021
Earlier in the day, Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and senior military officials paid their last respects to the departed bravehearts at the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) in Wellington where they were brought in after the crash.
The distance from the MRC Wellington to Sulur Air Force station is 87 km and the road traffic was diverted to prevent any disruptions during the transportation. The bodies will be later flown from Sulur Air Force station to the respective native places of the crash victims. The bodies of General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat will be flown to New Delhi and will be kept at their official residence at Kamaraj Marg.
Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, other political leaders, and Armed Forces personnel are expected to pay their last respects to General Rawat in Delhi.
The Defence Minister has already announced in Parliament that the bodies of all those dead in the air crash would be given full state honours.
Meanwhile, a six-member special medical team from Coimbatore is attending the treatment of the lone survivor in the Coonoor helicopter crash, Group captain Varun Singh who is struggling for his life at the Wellington Army hospital. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, who is at Nilgiris, has already communicated to the Army team that the Tamil Nadu government would support the medical treatment of Group captain Varun Singh.
Sources at Wellington said that Group captain Varun Singh, who is a Shaurya Chakra awardee, suffered 60 per cent burns during the copter crash. In addition, Group Captain Varun Singh, the Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, and the lone survivor of the ill-fated chopper, can also provide first-hand information on the flight.
On Wednesday, the IAF helicopter with 14 persons on board, including General Rawat and his wife, took off from Sulur airbase and crashed minutes before it was supposed to land at the Kateri park near Coonoor.
(With inputs from Agencies)
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.
