Fact Check: Pictures of 2019 Poonch crashlanding shared as chopper crash in Coonoor
A picture of a helicopter crash is circulating on social media. Users claim it is the same site where the chopper of Bipin Rawat crashed.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 8 Dec 2021 3:04 PM GMT
Hyderabad: A helicopter carrying Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and staff crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu shortly after take-off on December 8.
A picture of a helicopter crash is circulating on social media. Users claim it is the same site where the chopper of Bipin Rawat crashed.
Netizens are sharing the picture with the hashtag #Bipin Rawat.
Fact Check:
The viral picture is not from the Coonoor crash.
Newsmeter performed a reverse image search and found the same picture carried by 'India Defense News' and 'Arunachal 24' in October 2019. The viral picture is from an incident that took place in 2019. A Drub Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) with Lt Gen Ranbir Singh and seven others on board had to crash land after it developed a technical snag.
The helicopter carrying Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh made an emergency landing following a technical glitch in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch.
The Army issued a statement saying that the ALH made an emergency landing in a general area Mandi Bedar in Poonch and all seven onboard including Lt General Ranbir Singh were safe.
Click here and here for more reports.
The same was also reported by 'Daily Times'. Northern Army Commander was returning from a forward location in the 16 Corps area of operations near the Line of Control (LoC) when the incident took place.
The viral picture was also shared by news agency ANI in October 2019.
Clearly, the viral picture of 2019 crashlanding in Poonch is being shared as a chopper crash in Coonoor.
BACKGROUND ON IAF HELICOPTER CRASH IN TAMIL NADU:
A Mi-17V-5 Helicopter carrying Bipin Rawat, his wife, and staff crashed in Coonoor. Sources confirmed that thirteen persons died in the crash. The bodies recovered from the crash were taken to Military Hospital, Wellington in Tamil Nadu.
A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. The Cabinet will soon brief the parliament on the crash. (read more here)
Below is a video from the crash.
