Bipin Rawat helicopter crash: Men who spotted crashing IAF helicopter speak out

In a bid to find the truth, ETV Bharat was able to trace down Joe and Naseer, both residents of Ramanathapuram area of Coimbatore, who were in the vicinity of the IAF helicopter crash that resulted in the demise of CDS Bipin Rawat. The video taken by the duo went viral on social media after the incident. In this exclusive interview, Joe and Nasser speak out about their experience.

Coimbatore: A video of the chopper carrying Gen. Bipin Rawat and 12 others who died in the chopper crash on Wednesday is going viral. Joe and Naseer, the residents of the Ramanathapuram area of ​​Coimbatore were on a trek in the vicinity of the accident spot when the chopper crashed. Joe shot the video that's going viral, unaware of the fact that it is going to crash moments later.

Both Joe and Naseer share their experience with ETV Bharat.

Speaking to Etv Bharat, Joe said, "My friend Nasser and I had gone out trekking with my family on that day. While taking a video on the tracks, we saw a helicopter flying by and starting shooting it."

"Following that, the chopper disappeared within seconds and we heard the sound of exploding. All of this happened within 4 to 5 seconds. When we attempted to rush to spot of the crash, the cops halted us. So we went to a friend's house close by. The full details of the chopper crash were later revealed on television," he added.

Following that, we went to the Nilgiris District Collector's Office and nearest Kaateri police station. As there were no authorities present at the spot, the two guards over there instructed us to go to the spot. We hurried to the spot and handed over the video footage to Inspector Devarajan there," he said.

"The last time we saw it, the helicopter flew over a dense foggy area and only the noise of the crash could be heard later," Joe explained to police officials.

Naseer, Joe's friend who was also there with him, said, "The video was captured by my friend Joe. We just heard the helicopter smashing down on a tree limb and grew anxious. Following that, when we went to the scene, we handed over the video to a cop who was there and left the spot. We came to know about the incident later through television."