Dec 10, 2021: Two eyewitnesses said on Thursday that the helicopter carrying the Indian defense chief was flying abnormally low before moving towards a hillside in the thick fog and getting engulfed in flames.
Construction worker Jayaselan was at home near the southern Indian town of Coonoor when he heard the distinctive rumble of a helicopter closing. Hearing the crash, he ran outside.
“I saw smoke billowing out of the woods and an odd cracking sound. The helicopter had crashed near my brother’s house,” said Jayaseelan, 57, who only uses one name.
According to Jayaselan and another eyewitness, Satish Kumar, military helicopters often fly this route, but it seemed louder and closer as it passed through the thick fog. Inside the machine was General Bipin Rawat – who was picked by the government to head India’s first armed forces head or Chief of Defense Staff in 2019 – along with his wife and a dozen other defense personnel. Only one passenger, an Air Force captain, survived the crash.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Jayaseelan and two other local residents said they struggled to reach the wrecked Russian-designed Mi-17 V5 helicopter because of the intensity of the flames engulfing it.
Emergency services arrived shortly after, but the hilly terrain meant they had trouble reaching the site with firefighting equipment, said Kumar, 45, who lives nearby.
Wrapped in blankets provided by locals, rescue workers and defence personnel began extricating the bodies. Some were badly burnt, Jayaseelan said.
Within an hour of the accident, into which the Air Force has ordered an inquiry, Jayaseelan said the area was flooded with policemen, defence personnel and firemen.
Stay tuned to BaaghiTV for latest news and Updates!
