Thirteen people, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat died in an IAF helicopter crash near Coonoor on Wednesday afternoon.

 

The bodies were shifted from the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) in Wellington from the Military Hospital on Thursday morning where Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari, senior military officials and others paid last respects to the departed souls.

 

While the convoy of ambulances and security vehicles were travelling from Wellington to Sulur air base, the axle of a police vehicle broke. The van driver stopped the vehicle and in the process hit a wall on the roadside.

 

Seven policemen suffered minor injuries and they were shifted to Mettupalayam government hospital.

 

Some minutes later, one of the ambulances carrying the mortal remains met with a minor accident suffering small damages.

 

The bodies in the ambulance were shifted to another ambulance and the vehicles proceeded towards Sulur airbase.