Coimbatore: A city-based wedding photographer, who had recorded a video of what he claims to be that of the Indian Air Force helicopter which crashed in Coonoor, killing Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others on Friday, said bad weather and poor visibility could have been the reasons behind the accident.
CDS General Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed when the Mi-17VH chopper crashed in a wooded valley at Katteri-Nanjappanchathram area in Coonoor in Nilgiri district on Wednesday. One IAF personnel survived the crash and is undergoing treatment in Bengaluru.
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Y Joe Alias Kutty, who recorded the video moments before the chopper crashed on Wednesday, attributed bad weather and poor visibility to the accident.
Kutty (52) is a wedding photographer from the city and had recorded the video on his mobile phone that has gone viral on social media.
Kutty and his friend Nazar, along with the latter's family, had gone to Katteri for clicking photographs and out of curiosity, Joe shot video of the ill-fated helicopter.
Noting that Nazar had come with his family on a tour to Ooty, Kutty said they were walking along the mountain train track near Katteri as the women were posing for photographs.
As he heard the noise of the helicopter, Kutty started shooting a video and found the chopper disappearing into the fog and soon after, they heard a sound, the duo told reporters here.
As they tried to reach the hill, a police team arrived at the spot and stopped them from moving further, they said.
Though they tried to reach the officials in the offices of district collectorate and SP that day, they were not able to convey the message. "However, we shared the footage with a police official," they said.
Meanwhile, all the shops, commercial establishments and hotels downed their shutters in Nilgiris district as a mark of respect to the departed. Private buses, tourist taxis and autorickshaws also remained off the road as the public arranged events to pay floral tributes to the deceased at various places in the district.