Eyewitness of helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat appears for police inquiry

The last moments of the IAF chopper were recorded by a person named Kutty from Coimbatore in a 19-second video.
File photo of Rescue operation near the wreckage of the crashed IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. (Photo | PTI)
File photo of Rescue operation near the wreckage of the crashed IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. (Photo | PTI)

COIMBATORE: Two days after the horrific chopper crash at Kateri-Nanchappanchathram area near Coonoor in Nilgiris that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 other defence personnel, the eyewitness who had noticed the chopper and recorded it on his mobile phone a few seconds before it crashed appeared on Friday before the Coimbatore city police for inquiry.

"While the chopper attempted to cross Kateri sharply at 12.24 pm on Wednesday, the whole area was veiled by a thick fog," said Nasar one of the eyewitnesses from the family.

“We spent around 10 minutes taking photos at the place. After hearing a loud thud we immediately started moving towards the direction from where the sound was heard and searched to see if there was any accident in that area. After crossing a few bends on the ghat road, we saw the police and the ambulance involved in rescue service at a spot. We approached them and handed over the video to the police. After that we left since we were asked to vacate the place," he added.

The last moments of the IAF chopper were recorded by a person named Kutty from Coimbatore in a 19-second video. Kutty along with Nasar, who has been running a printing press at Gandhipuram in Coimbatore, and his family were at Katery near Coonoor on Wednesday when the crash happened.

The video shows the family was walking on a railway track near Katery getting curious by a loud thud seconds after a chopper disappears into thick fog. One of the groups Nasar is seen asking vizhundhuchu (it has fallen)/ odanchiducha (has it broken)?. Kutty who recorded the video, replies 'yes'. 

Nasar, who appeared in the video, came to Coimbatore City Police Commissionerate on Friday morning for the inquiry. He confirms that it was taken from the railway track far away from the accident spot.

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