India's military chief and his wife are among 13 killed after their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in dense forest

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India's military chief and his wife have been killed along with 11 others after their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in dense forest today.  

General Bipin Rawat was on board a Russian-made Mi-17V5 chopper when it crashed in a forest near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday, the Indian Air Force confirmed on Twitter.

The defence chief, 63, his wife Madhulika Rawat and other officers were among the 14 people on the chopper, which took off from Sulur Air Force Station this afternoon, according to local media reports.

One person with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington, India's Air Force said in a series of tweets confirming the death of Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 others.

Rawat was travelling to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to deliver a lecture when the helicopter crashed in Coonoor, which is on the flight path.

Dramatic footage broadcast on Indian news channels showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from the fiery wreck at the crash site in a dense forested area around 10km from the nearest road in the Nilgiris district.

General Bipin Rawat was on board a Russian-made Mi-17 chopper that 'met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu', the Indian Air Force. Pictured: Fire at the crash site

Rawat (pictured in January 2018), his wife and other officers were among 14 people on the chopper, which took off from Sulur Air Force Station this afternoon

The defence chief, his wife Madhulika Rawat (both pictured in April 2018) and 11 other people on-board the helicopter were killed in the crash, the air force confirmed on Wednesday

Firemen and rescue workers stand next to the debris of an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash site in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday

Thirteen of the 14 people on board, including Rawat and his wife, have been confirmed dead. Pictured: Firemen undertake rescue operation next to the debris of an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash site

Locals joined in the effort as they were seen dousing the wreckage with buckets and pots of water (pictured) before the district administration evacuated the scene

One person with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington, India's Air Force said in a series of tweets confirming the death of Rawat and his wife Madhulika. Pictured: Locals try to contain the fire at the scene

India's military chief and his wife have been killed along with 11 others after their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in dense forest

S.P. Amrith, a senior civil administrator of the area where the crash took place, said rescuers were able to save one male passenger, who was taken to a hospital for treatment. The other 13 people on-board have been confirmed dead.

'With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,' the air force said on Twitter. 

A frantic search was launched after the crash. Locals joined in the effort as they were seen dousing the wreckage with buckets and pots of water before the district administration evacuated the scene.  

Rawat was India's first chief of defence staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and was seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Rawat, a four-star general, had previously survived a helicopter crash in February 2015 when he was the III Corps commander in Dimapur, Nagaland.  

Indian army soldiers arriving at the site after an army helicopter carrying India's Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat crashed near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu

S.P. Amrith, a senior civil administrator of the area where the crash took place, said rescuers were able to save one male passenger. Pictured: Firemen and rescue workers try to control the fire in the burning debris of the helicopter

 A frantic search was launched after the crash. Locals joined in the effort as they were seen dousing the wreckage with buckets. Pictured: Wreckage at the site

Videos (pictured) broadcast on Indian news showed a fiery wreck at the crash site in a dense forested area near the college in Nilgiris district

Helicopter took off from Sulur Air Force Station on Wednesday afternoon, according to media reports. Pictured: Fire and rubble at the scene

Firemen and rescue workers try to control the fire in the burning debris of the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash site after a chopper carrying India's defence chief General Bipin Rawat crashed

Earlier, local sources said three people with serious burn injuries had been rescued. Thirteen of the 14 people on board have now been confirmed dead. Pictured: Fireman and rescue workers next to the helicopter debris

India has dozens of the Russian Mi-17V5 choppers that are widely used by the military as well as top government ministers visiting defence locations. Pictured: Plumes of smoke rise from the scene of the crash

The advanced military helicopter, which is in wide use by defence services around the world, has been involved in a number of accidents over the years. Pictured: Fire trucks are parked near the site of the MI-17V5 helicopter crash

Who was General Bipin Rawat?

Rawat (pictured), a four-star general, had previously survived a helicopter crash in February 2015 when he was the III Corps commander in Dimapur, Nagaland

General Bipin Rawat was India's first chief of defence staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Rawat came from a military family with several generations having served in the Indian armed forces.

He joined army as second lieutenant in 1978 and has four decades of service behind him, having commanded forces in Indian-administered Kashmir and along the Line of Actual Control bordering China.

The general is credited with reducing insurgency on India's northeastern frontier and supervised a cross-border counter-insurgency operation into neighbouring Myanmar.

Rawat was chief of the 1.3million-strong army from 2017 to 2019 before he became defence chief, which analysts said was to improve integration between the army, navy and air force.

He turned heads last month when he reportedly made an approving reference to 'lynching terrorists' in the contested territory of Kashmir.

Rawat, a four-star general, had previously survived a helicopter crash in February 2015 when he was the III Corps commander in Dimapur, Nagaland.

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Also on board the helicopter on Wednesday was Rawat's defence assistant, security commandos and an IAF pilot. The reason for the crash was not immediately known. 

Before the India Air Force's update, local sources had said three people with serious burn injuries had been rescued so far while a search is still ongoing for the others.  

One local source said: 'The identity of those who have died has not been released as the bodies are said to be beyond recognition. 

'11 bodies have now been recovered and those three injured in the hospital have 85 per cent burn injuries so it will take some time for identification to be carried out.

'Only the tail of the aircraft is visible at the crash site. 

'It was foggy and drizzling at the time and the locals from the Katari village carried pots and buckets to douse the flames before the district administration reached the spot for evacuation.'  

The injured were taken to the hospital at Wellington cantonment in Nilgiris district.

'Some of the injured have been taken to the hospital,' a fire department official said, adding around two dozen fire brigade vehicles were at the scene to douse a fire.

The chopper came down around 10km (six miles) from the nearest road, forcing emergency workers to trek to the accident site, another fire official said. 

The Air Force said that Rawat, who had previously served as India's Chief of Army Staff, had been travelling in an Mi-17V5 helicopter. 

India has dozens of the Russian choppers, which are widely used by the military as well as top government ministers visiting defence locations.

'This is a safe, proven helicopter, I have travelled on it in difficult situations,' former army chief J.J Singh said.  

The advanced military helicopter, which first entered service in the 1970s and is in wide use by defence services around the world, has been involved in a number of accidents over the years.

Fourteen people died in a crash last month when an Azerbaijani military Mi-17 chopper went down during a training flight.

In 2019, four Indonesian soldiers were killed and five others wounded in central Java in another training accident involving the aircraft.

India's air force confirmed an inquiry was underway to ascertain the cause of Wednesday's accident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an emergency cabinet meeting.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh is expected to address Parliament later today.