Coonoor (Tamil Nadu): Amidst the pall of gloom, a local who rescued Group Captain Varun Singh - the lone survivor in the Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi 17V5 helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat and 12 others - hoping to meet the Shaurya Chakra awardee again, with God's grace.
Moorthy, who works in a roadside shop in Kattery Park, was among the first responders from the neighbourhood to reach the IAF Mi 17V5 chopper crash site on Wednesday.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Moorthy said he received a call from the Nanjappa Chathiram residents at 12.33 pm about the crash.
Also read: TN copter crash: Group Captain Varun Singh airlifted to Bengaluru for higher treatment
"I alerted my boss to inform the Police and Fire Personnel and rushed to the spot with my friends," he said, adding that they reached the crash site in under 10 minutes.
"The chopper was ablaze. I saw a person lying down near the chopper site. The residents told us that they saw passengers fall down from the helicopter. As we called out for survivors we heard words 'help me'. We rushed in and rescued him," he said.
Moorthy said they managed to save the injured person who responded to their calls. We learnt that he was the pilot of the helicopter. He said 'thank you' when we brought him out, he recalled.
We learnt that the injured pilot has been moved to Bengaluru for further treatment and doing well, he said.
"I believe he will recover by God's grace. I hope to meet him whenever he fully recovers. When I do, I will simply wish him well," Moorthy said.
