Five days after the fatal Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash in Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, lone survivor Group Captain Varun Singh continued to remain in a critical state. He is, however, said to be stable now. The development was confirmed by the IAF.
As per reports, Group Captain Singh is being treated at the Command Hospital in Bengaluru in Karnataka. While speaking about the matter, his father Colonel KP Singh (retd.) stated, “There is so much of fluctuation that how (my son is) cannot be defined. In the hourly monitoring, there are rises and falls. You cannot say. Everyone is discussing. We are in the best hands. He is in the best hands, rather.”
He further added, “The best medical facility, the best experts are treating him. Prayer of the whole country is there. I am emotionally moved as a lot of people who don’t know him or are retired or serving have come to meet. Even ladies are coming saying they want to see him (Varun). That is the kind of love and affection one has got. He will come out victorious. He is a fighter. He will come out…He will come out.”
Group Captain Varun Singh remains ‘critical but stable’, says the IAF.
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) December 13, 2021
Reportedly, Group Captain Varun Singh has suffered around 80% burns, which is a significant amount of burn, and that’s why his recovery will take time..
Skin graft treatment of Group Captain Varun Singh
As per a news report published by The Indian Express, an unspecified quantity of skin graft was sent from the skin bank in Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) in Victoria Hospital to the Air Force Command Hospital. A senior doctor informed, “When I first received the information that the officer was being shifted from the Military Hospital, Wellington to the Command Hospital in Bengaluru, I called up the skin bank to check on the availability of skin just in case there is a request from the Command Hospital to use it for the lone survivor of the tragic chopper crash.”
The doctor added that the medical staff was doing everything in their capacity to save the life of Group Captain Varun Singh. Furthermore, he stated that the BMCRI immediately issued the full stock of skin graft that was available to the Command Hospital. The doctor further assured, “If the Command Hospital needs more skin, we can fetch it from other skin banks in Mumbai or Chennai.”
The tragic Indian Air Force helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other personnel died on Wednesday after the Indian Air Force chopper they were travelling in crashed around 12:22 pm on December 8 near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. The Mi-17V5 helicopter of IAF was on its way from Sulur IAF base in Coimbatore to Defence Staff College in Wellington when it crashed.
Brigadier LS Lidder, the Chief of Defence Staff’s military adviser, staff officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, and Lance Naik Sai Teja were among those killed in the crash. CDS Rawat and his wife’s mortal remains arrived in Delhi on Thursday (December 9) evening, and their cremation took place in Delhi Cantonment on Friday (December 10).
