India’s military chief and his wife are among 13 killed after their military helicopter crashed and burst into flames in dense forest on Dec. 8

A helicopter carrying General Bipin Rawat, 63, crashed in a forest near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday

The defense chief, his wife Madhulika Rawat and other officers were among 14 people on the Russian-made chopper, which took off from Sulur Air Force Station on Wednesday afternoon

Footage broadcast on Indian news channels showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from the fiery wreck at the crash site in a densely forested area of the Nilgiris district

Thirteen of the 14 people on board the chopper are dead following the crash, with the lone survivor hospitalized with injuries

Gen Rawat and his wife were headed to Defense Services Staff College for a lecture, the military release said

Rawat was India’s first chief of defense staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and was seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The four-star general, had previously survived a helicopter crash in Feb 2015 when he was the III Corps commander in Dimapur, Nagaland

The head of India’s military services and his wife have been killed along with eleven others after their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in dense forest on Wednesday afternoon.  
Bipin Rawat a four-star general and India’s first Chief of Defense Staff was on board an Mi-17V5 chopper when it crashed in a forest near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on December 8, the Indian Air Force confirmed on Twitter.
The defense chief, 63, his wife Madhulika Rawat and other officers were among 14 people on the Russian-made chopper, which took off from Sulur Air Force Station this afternoon, according to local media reports.
The sole survivor with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington, India’s Air Force said in a series of tweets confirming the death of Gen. Rawat and his wife Madhulika.
Rawat was travelling to the Defense Services Staff College in Wellington in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to deliver a lecture when the helicopter crashed in Coonoor, which is on the flight path.
Also on board the helicopter today were Rawat’s defense assistant, security commandos and an IAF pilot.
The reason for the crash was not immediately known. 
Dramatic footage broadcast on Indian news channels showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from the fiery wreck at the crash site in a dense forested area the Nilgiris district.

Indian air Force, Wednesday confirmed the tragic death of the country’s military chief and his wife have been killed along with 11 others after their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in dense forest.
S.P. Amrith, a senior civil administrator of the area where the crash took place, said rescuers were able to save one male passenger, who was taken to a hospital for treatment. Thirteen of the 14 people on board have been confirmed dead. ‘With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,’ the air force said on Twitter. 
A frantic search was launched after the crash. Locals joined in the effort as they were seen dousing the wreckage with buckets and pots of water before the district administration evacuated the scene. 
Rawat was India’s first chief of defense staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and was seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
The four-star general, had previously survived a helicopter crash in February 2015 when he was the III Corps commander in Dimapur, Nagaland.  

S.P. Amrith, a senior civil administrator of the area where the crash took place, said rescuers were able to save one male passenger.
Earlier, local sources said three people with serious burn injuries had been rescued. Thirteen of the 14 people on board have now been confirmed dead.
India has dozens of the Russian Mi-17V5 choppers that are widely used by the military as well as top government ministers visiting defense locations.
The advanced military helicopter, which is in wide use by defense services around the world, has been involved in a number of accidents over the years.

General Bipin Rawat, a four-star general, had previously survived a helicopter crash in February 2015 when he was the III Corps commander in Dimapur, Nagaland.
Rawat was India’s first chief of defense staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
Rawat came from a military family with several generations having served in the Indian armed forces.
He joined army as second lieutenant in 1978 and has four decades of service behind him.
Through his career, he commanded forces in some of the most difficult terrains of India, including the northern and eastern commands, having commanded forces in Indian-administered Kashmir and along the Line of Actual Control bordering China.
The general is credited with reducing insurgency on India’s northeastern frontier and supervised a cross-border counter-insurgency operation into neighboring Myanmar. He also played a part in the 2016 strikes in which the Indian army entered Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to destroy what India alleged were terrorist hide-outs.
Rawat was chief of the 1.3million-strong army from 2017 to 2019 before he became defense chief, which analysts said was to improve integration between the army, navy and air force.
He turned heads last month when he reportedly made an approving reference to ‘lynching terrorists’ in the contested territory of Kashmir.

A much decorated soldier and a veteran of counterinsurgency warfare, Rawat served for nearly four decades in the army.
Gen. Rawat’s death removes a central figure in India’s military plans to counter China as tensions rise between the two countries at their disputed border, said Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at New Delhi-based think tank the Centre for Policy Research. “At a time when a warlike situation prevails along the Himalayan frontier, it won’t be easy for Prime Minister Modi to fill the void,” he said.
Rawat, speaking at an event last month, said China was the biggest security threat facing India, much bigger than Pakistan: “We are well-prepared for any misadventure, should they carry out a Galwan-like incident again,” he said, referring to the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese security forces in June last year that left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
His tenure also witnessed stronger ties with the U.S., with an expansion of India’s defense cooperation with the U.S. military.

The chopper came down Wednesday around six miles from the nearest access road, forcing emergency workers to trek to the accident site, a fire official said. 
‘It was foggy and drizzling at the time and the locals from the Katari village carried pots and buckets to douse the flames before the district administration reached the spot for evacuation,’ locals said.
The injured were taken to the hospital at Wellington cantonment in Nilgiris district.
Ultimately around two dozen fire service vehicles made it to the crash site to douse a fire.
The chopper came down around six miles, from the nearest road, forcing emergency workers to trek to the accident site, another fire official said. 
The Air Force said that Rawat, who had previously served as India’s Chief of Army Staff, had been travelling in an Mi-17V5 helicopter. 
India has dozens of the Russian choppers that are widely used by the military as well as top government ministers visiting defense locations.
‘This is a safe, proven helicopter, I have travelled on it in difficult situations,’ former army chief J.J.Singh said.  
The advanced military helicopter, which first entered service in the 1970s and is in wide use by defense services around the world, has been involved in a number of accidents over the years.
India’s air force confirmed an inquiry was underway to ascertain the cause of Wednesday’s accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an emergency cabinet meeting.
Defense minister Rajnath Singh is expected to address Parliament later today.