Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others die in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu
Earlier in the day 14 people were on board the Air Force's Mi-17V5 helicopter. The Air Force has confirmed General Rawat was on board. At that time there was no confirmation about any death.
Reports till 4pm said five people have died and four are in hospital with severe burn injuries. A news agency quoting sources, said the injured are the military hospital at the Wellingdon base. Details about the rest - who include crew members - were not known .
The identities of those on board, and those who were found dead, was withheld at this point. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was told that Singh will also brief Parliament, which is sitting for the winter session.
The chopper crashed shortly after it took off from an Army base in Sulur near Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore. It was heading to Wellington in Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty, where a Defence Services Staff College is located.
The crash was first reported around 12.20 pm. The defence establishment learnt of the incident from villagers in nearby Katteri who informed the district administration.
The Tamil Nadu govt sent senior officials, including the Nilgiri Collector, to the crash site. A medical team and experts from Coimbatore rushed to the scene. The state's Forest Minister was en route. Locals helped in the rescue ops.
The crash site is in a forested area, which makes access to the wreckage difficult. Visuals showed the wreckage scattered on the hillside and rescuers at work, struggling through thick smoke and fire.
Former army chief General JJ Singh told that the bodies that have been recovered are charred, which is making identification difficult. Those rescued have sustained severe burn injuries.
General Rawat, 63, took charge as India's first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2019. He was also appointed the head of the newly-created Department of Military Affairs.