Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the chopper crash incident in Tamil Nadu, is currently on the life support system at a hospital in Wellington, Defence Minister Rjnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha. He said that all efforts are being made to save him.
Group Captain Singh is being treated for severe burn injuries at the military hospital in Wellington.
“He is critical but stable at the moment,” said officials today.
The Air Force officer won the Shaurya Chakra in August for his courage in handling his aircraft after it was hit by major technical issues during a sortie last year. He landed his Tejas fighter safely despite the mid-air emergency.
The Indian Air Force has ordered a tri-service inquiry into the crash. The inquiry team led by led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh reached Wellington yesterday, Singh said in Lok Sabha.
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Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha observes two-minute silence on the demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and other personnel in a military helicopter crash.
” With profound grief and heavy heart, I stand to convey the unfortunate news of the crash of the military helicopter in the noon of 8th December 2021, with India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat onboard. Gen Bipin Rawat was on a scheduled visit to Defence ServicesStaff College, Wellington to interact with the student Officers. The Air Force Mi 17 V 5 helicopter took off from Sulur Air Base at 11:48 AM yesterday and was expected to land at Wellington by 12:15 PM. Air Traffic Control at Sulur Air Base lost contact with the helicopter at approximately 12:08 PM. Subsequently, few locals spotted a fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot where they observed the wreckage of military helicopter engulfed in flames. Rescue teams from the local administration in the vicinity reached the site and attempted to recover the survivors from the crash site…..” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha.
The Chief of Defence Staff would be cremated with full military honours.
I, on behalf of the august House, pay homage to the deceased persons and express condolences to the bereaved families, he added.
The Russian-made Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying Rawat, 63, crashed around noon Wednesday, the Indian Air Force said in a statement on Twitter without providing details on the accident.
(With inputs from agencies)
