The convoy was carrying the bodies from Wellington to Sulur Air Force Base near Coonoor.
New Delhi:
An ambulance carrying the remains of Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others, who were killed in a helicopter crash yesterday, collided with a minor accident on their way to Sulur in Coimbatore this afternoon.
The convoy was carrying the bodies from Wellington to Sulur Air Force Base near Coonoor. From there the bodies were to be taken to Delhi.
An ambulance had a minor accident near Coimbatore. The bodies were shifted to another ambulance.
On the way to Sulur, vehicles passed through the streets, which were lined with people paying tribute to the Chief of Defense Staff and other officers killed in the accident.
One video showed people showering flowers and shouting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” as an ambulance passed by them.
General Rawat’s last rites will be held in Delhi tomorrow with full military honours.
General Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defense Staff, was on his way to the Defense Services Staff College in Wellington to address faculty and students. Just 10 minutes before landing, the helicopter crashed, killing 13 people on board. Group Captain Varun Singh, the only survivor, is being treated for severe burns and has been put on life support.
Others killed in the accident include Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Defense Advisor to General Rawat, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Nike was. Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja.
This morning, the bodies were taken from a military hospital to the Madras Regimental Center in Wellington, where people paid tribute to General Rawat and other personnel. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was also present at the ceremony.
In the presence of officers of all the three services of the Armed Forces, soldiers in uniform laid flag-coated coffins. Military personnel, veterans, politicians and others laid wreaths and flowers by the coffins.
,