New Delhi: Gen Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel died on Wednesday after the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force said.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat have been killed along with 12 others when the Army chopper they were flying in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the IAF confirmed on Wednesday.

The tragic incident happened when the chopper was heading for Wellington from Sulur.

The IAF has issued a list of names of General Rawat’s staff who were also on board the crashed chopper. They include Brigadier LS Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja and Havaldar Satpal.

The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the accident.

Idukki: The water level in Periyar river has risen following the opening of nine shutters of the Mullaperiyar Dam.Water has entered premises of the houses in Manjumala Attoram colony here.The road through Vikas Nagar has been waterlogged. Locals are rushing to move their valuables to safety.

Alappuzha: Amid rampant complaints on the use of high decibel horns, Kerala Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has come up with ‘Operation Decibel’ to clamp down on violators who use horns that are not legally permitted in vehicles. The operation kick-starts on Wednesday and it is learnt that there will be special squads to surveil the vehicles around the clock.