India’s top military commander has been killed in a helicopter crash in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the country’s Air Force says.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others died after the Mi-17V5 helicopter came down in hills near Coonoor city on Wednesday morning.
One survivor is being treated for his injuries in hospital.
Gen Rawat, 63, was appointed India’s first-ever Chief of Defence Staff in January 2019.
This brought together the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and Gen Rawat had been in charge of a range of operations including in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Indian Air Force said it had ordered an investigation into the accident, which happened in foggy weather. A cabinet security committee is holding an emergency session, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Twitter, Mr Modi said: “[Gen Rawat] brought with him a rich experience of serving in the Army. India will never forget his exceptional service.
“A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptions. His passing away has saddened me deeply.”
Images from the crash site showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from the mangled remains of the helicopter, and local people trying to put out the fire.
The helicopter had just taken off from the army base in Sulur, and was headed for Wellington town, less than 100km (62 miles) away, where Gen Rawat was set to visit the Defence Services Staff College.
The sole survivor of the crash is a captain working at the college.
Although the Russian-made Mi-17V5 is among the most sophisticated military transport helicopters, India’s ageing air force fleet is often blamed for a high number of crashes.
Former army chief J J Singh said it was “a safe, proven helicopter”, adding that he himself had travelled on it in difficult situations.
In 2017, seven military personnel were killed in a crash in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The helicopter was on a training sortie.
A year before that, another of the helicopters had crashed immediately after take-off during a military drill in the northern state of Uttarakhand. No casualties were reported.
