Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the helicopter crash that killed chief of defence staff general Bipin Rawat and 12 others, remained in critical condition on Thursday.
The Indian Army informed that Varun Singh was being moved from the military hospital at Wellington, near the accident site, by road to the Indian Air Force base at Sulur. From there, he is expected to be airlifted to the Command Hospital of the Indian Air Force at Bengaluru for further treatment.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had informed Parliament that Varun Singh was on life support. Deccan Herald quoted a Tamil Nadu government official as saying Varun Singh was “battling for life with 80-85 per cent burn injuries”.
Meanwhile, an Indian Air Force aircraft carrying the mortal remains of the 12 crash victims is expected to depart from Sulur to Delhi. The Army said the aircraft was likely to arrive in Delhi by late evening. Senior leaders are expected to pay respects after the aircraft arrives.
ANI reported “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and NSA Ajit Doval are expected to pay tribute to the mortal remains of CDS general Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other personnel at the Palam Technical Area today evening.”
