According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the condition of Group Captain Varun Singh is “critical but stable”.
“Every effort is being made to save them,” Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told India’s parliament on Thursday as the legislature observed a moment of silence for the victims.
Group Captain Singh is being treated at the Military Hospital in Wellington city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where the helicopter crash took place on Wednesday.
India’s Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other army personnel were killed in this incident.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter that crashed was a Soviet-designed Mi-17V-5. It took off from Sulur airbase at 11:48 a.m. local time and landed in Wellington city at 12:15 p.m. as air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft.
Defense Minister Singh, who is not related to the captain, told Parliament that locals saw forest fires in Coonoor town.
“(They) reached the place where they saw the wreckage of a military helicopter engulfed in flames,” he said. “Rescue teams from the nearby local administration reached the spot and tried to rescue the survivors.”
The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained and the Indian Air Force has ordered a tri-services investigation – a high level Special Forces Command – into the incident. The Indian Air Force on Thursday said a flight data recorder has been recovered from the crash site.
The body of General Rawat was to reach India’s capital New Delhi on Thursday. According to the Indian Army, his family will pay tribute to him before his funeral with full military honors on Friday.
Uttarakhand, the general’s home state in northern India, declared three days of mourning on Wednesday.
Rajnath Singh said that the last rites of all other dead servicemen will also be performed with proper military honours.
General Rawat was appointed India’s Chief of Defense Staff in December 2019 and was the first person to hold the position. Prior to this, he served as the Chief of Army Staff for about three years.
During a career spanning more than 40 years, Rawat commanded several battalions for the Indian Army and received several awards for his service.
A statement issued by the Indian Army described General Rawat as “a visionary who initiated far-reaching reforms in the higher defense organization of the Indian Army” and described his wife as a “symbol of grace”, Whose presence is admired by all. will be remembered.”
Condolences have been pouring in for the bereaved families since Wednesday, with Indian politicians and foreign officials pouring out messages of support.
“We will remember General Rawat as an extraordinary leader who served his country and contributed to the US-India defense relationship,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted about his deep pain.
He wrote, “General Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he contributed greatly to the modernization of our armed forces and security apparatus.” “I am deeply saddened by his passing.”
Former Indian Army chief General Ved Malik called the tragedy a “loss to the nation”.
“Bipin possessed unmatched military qualities, military knowledge and experience,” he wrote on Twitter. “Sturdy, clear and straightforward in pursuing what he believed in.”
,