No distress signal from helicopter before crash that killed Indian general

General Bipin Rawat died when his helicopter crashed in a forest (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

An Indian air force helicopter that crashed and killed the military chief, General Bipin Rawat, and 12 others lost contact with air traffic control seven minutes before it was supposed to land and sent no distress call before it was found in flames in a forested area.

In a statement in India’s parliament, defence minister Rajnath Singh did not indicate any SOS by the helicopter crew or bad weather in the region in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.