Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and 13 people were killed when an Indian Air Force helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu today.
"With deepest regret, it is now learned that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 others on board have been killed in the unfortunate accident," the Indian Army confirmed in a tweet.
The accident happened about 10 km from the helipad where it was supposed to land, shortly after the Mi-series helicopter took off from the army base at Sulur at 11.45 am for Coimbatore, Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills.
The General was on his way to the Defense Services Staff College in Wellington to address the faculty and students.
It was descending and would have descended in 10 minutes when it came down, barely 10 km off the road. The Air Force has ordered an inquiry into the incident.