Ill-fated IAF chopper’s black box found, IAF Chief, TN Ministers pay last respects to CDS, wife and 11 other victims

Coonoor, (Tamil Nadu), Dec 9: The black box of the ill-fated

IAF helicopter which crashed near here yesterday, snuffing out the

lives of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife

and 11 others, were found on Thursday morning.

Official sources said the black box were found in the dense forest

area of Nachapurachathiram near the crash site at Katteri.

Senior military officials have taken possession of the black box

which was taken to the Defence Service Staff College in Wellington

and handed over to the officials.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat

and 11 others, draped in National flag, were brought in a flower

bedecked military vehicle and lined up at the college premises for

the dignitaries to pay their last respects.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, senior military officials, Tamil Nadu

Ministers K N Nehru, M P Saminathan and Ramachandran, Chief

Secretary V Irai Anbu and DGP C Sylendra Babu and senior police

officials paid homage to the mortal remains of the chopper victims.

Later, the bodies will be taken to Sulur air base from where they

would be carried in a special IAF aircraft to New Delhi for last rites.

A team of officials from the Tamil Nadu Forensic department

inspected the crash site today morning and collected remnants

from the spot.

The IAF has ordered a high level inquiry into the crash which

took place shortly after it took off from Sulur air base en route

to Wellington.