Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday evening rushed to the Nilgiris following the IAF chopper crash in which Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and others were killed.
Mr. Stalin visited the Madras Regimental Centre in Wellington late on Wednesday and met top Army officials. Senior Cabinet Minister K.N. Nehru, DGP Sylendra Babu and senior civil servants accompanied him. He is expected to visit the site of the crash on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, following the news of the crash, the Chief Minister instructed the local administration to provide all necessary support to the rescue operation.
Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said eight ‘108’ ambulances had reached the accident spot, and Army personnel were at the forefront of the rescue operation.
He said the Revenue, Disaster Management and Forest Departments and the people on the spot had been providing help initially, and the State Government’s role was ‘supportive’.
“It is a sad event. We are working with the Collector. We have also spoken to the 108 ambulance drivers. The Udhagamandalam [hospital] dean is there; the Collector went to the spot immediately; the joint director - health was also at the spot,” he said in the evening.
