Coonoor: An Army Chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, his staff and family members on board has crashed today in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. Although the details for the same are not known, the Defence Minister has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the situation. It is reported that four people are dead and three have been rescued suffering serious injuries. Injured have been taken to the nearest hospital at Wellington Cantonment in the Nilgiris district.

The crash took place in the Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur. Sources reveal that CDS Bipin Rawat was enroute to Wellington in Coonoor from the Indian Air Force base in Sulur near Coimbatore. Visuals from the site revealed massive flames from the Indian Army helicopter as locals help in the immediate rescue operations.