Bodies of 6 armed forces personnel killed in chopper crash identified; handed over to families

New Delhi, December 11

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The bodies of six more armed forces personnel killed in the IAF chopper crash near Coonoor were “positively” identified and handed over to their respective families, military officials said on Saturday.

Efforts to identify the remaining four mortal remains are continuing, they said.

The armed forces personnel whose bodies were identified and then sent to their home towns in IAF aircraft are Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) Pradeep, Wing Commander P S Chauhan, JWO Rana Pratap Das, Squadron Leader K Singh, Lance Naik B Sai Teja and Lance Naik Vivek Kumar.

Tributes were paid to the personnel at Base Hospital in Delhi Cantt before the bodies were sent to their home towns.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and his Defence Adviser Brigadier LS Lidder were among the 13 people killed in the crash.

Gen Rawat, his wife and Brig Lidder were cremated with full military honours at Delhi’s Brar Square Crematorium on Friday evening.

The mortal remains of all the 13 people killed in the air accident were brought to Delhi from Sulur in Tamil Nadu on Thursday evening, a day after the crash.

The Army and the Air Force carried out the identification of the bodies keeping in mind the sensitivities and emotional well-being of the family members.

The four personnel whose bodies are yet to be identified are all from the Army. PTI