2019 Pic From Jammu Falsely Linked to Chopper Crash With CDS Bipin Rawat Aboard

The image dates back to 2019 when a helicopter had made an emergency landing in Jammu's Poonch district.

An old image from Jammu's Poonch district was falsely linked to the helicopter crash that took place in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image of an Indian Army helicopter is being linked to the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash in which Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others died in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday, 8 December.

However, we found that the image in question dates back to 2019 when a helicopter had made an emergency landing in Jammu's Poonch district after is developed a technical snag.

CLAIM

Several social media users on Twitter and Facebook shared the image linking it to the helicopter crash that took place in Tamil Nadu.

You can view the archived version here.

(Source: Twitter/ Screenshot)

The archived version of the posts can be viewed here, here, here, here, and here.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

We performed a Google reverse image search and came across an article published by NDTV in October 2019 that carried the viral image.

As per the article, an Indian Army helicopter had then made a force-landing in Poonch district, Jammu.

NDTV carried the viral image in a 2019 article.

(Photo: NDTV/ Altered by The Quint)

The viral image can also be seen in news agency ANI's tweet from October 2019.

The Quint, too, had reported on the incident wherein the then Indian Army’s Northern Command Chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh was on board and had undergone all required medical tests in Udhampur military hospital and. No casualties were reported in the incident.

The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which was believed to have developed a technical snag, had crash-landed in Poonch district’s Bedar area.

WHAT ABOUT THE IAF CHOPPER CRASH IN TAMIL NADU?

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor. The Indian Air Force (IAF), has confirmed that Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others died in the accident.

The chopper crashed enroute Wellington base. It had taken off from Sulur in the Nilgiris.

But clearly this image being shared is from Jammu's Poonch district, which was falsely linked to the helicopter crash that took place in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.

(Update: The article has been updated to reflect that General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others died in the crash.)

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