Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the last rites of CDS General Bipin Rawat will be performed with full military honours. The last rites of other military personnel will be performed with appropriate military honour, the minister said in his statement on the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.

Rajya Sabha observed two-minute silence on the demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and other personnel in a military helicopter crash.

Also read: In Pics | The life and times of Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff

Addressing the Parliament, Singh said that group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in Military Hospital, Wellington. “All efforts are being made to save his life,” Singh added.

Earlier, defence officials on Thursday retrieved the Flight Recorder, more popularly known as ‘Black Box’, of the ill-fated Indian Air Force helicopter that crashed on Wednesday.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed in the incident.

Also read: CDS Bipin Rawat: Remembering a general who soldiered on for four decades

Official sources said the black box was retrieved in the wake of authorities expanding the search area from 300 metres to one km from the accident spot.

The black box would provide crucial data on the chain of events leading to the tragedy on the hills on Wednesday when the 63-year old Rawat, the country’s first CDS, his wife and 11 others were killed when the Mi-17VH helicopter they were travelling in crashed and went up in flames, leaving only one survivor.

Also read: Bipin Rawat chopper crash: Experts confounded at Mi-17V-5 helicopter crash

Rawat was on his way to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington to address the faculty and student officers of the staff course when the fatal mishap happened in the Katteri-Nanchappanchathram area.