Witness account: 'Chopper carrying CDS was flying too low'

The people of Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor were the first witnesses as the Indian Air Force helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on board crashed in the state on Wednesday.

“The helicopter was actually flying too low. Moments later, I got a call, saying that the chopper crashed after hitting a grove of trees. Probably, they all would have survived if it did not crash onto the trees and catch fire,” Prakash, a villager, told The Federal.

“I first heard a loud noise. When I came outside to see what had happened, I saw the helicopter crash into a tree. There was a huge fireball and then it crashed into another tree. I saw two-three figures emerging from the helicopter, they were completely burnt and crumpled to the ground,” one person at the tragedy spot was quoted as saying in media reports.

“I called the people who live in the area and we tried to help. The fire brigade and other emergency services were then informed,” he added.

Also read: Army chopper crash: Defence minister to brief Parliament on Thursday

General Rawat, his wife, defence assistant, security commandos and an IAF pilot were reportedly on the Mi-series helicopter. General Rawat was on his way for a programme at Defence Staff College in Wellington from the Indian Air Force base in Sulur near Coimbatore.

Visuals from the crash site showed a wreck of flames. Several teams, including local military officers, are on spot for search and rescue operations.