Last respects paid to India's defense chief

General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 defense personnel were en route to a military staff college in southern India when the air force helicopter they were travelling in came down near the town of Coonoor on Wednesday (December 8).

Only one of the 14 on board, an air force group captain, survived the crash and is on life support at a military hospital. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

A military ceremony was conducted in a town near the crash site, where dignitaries laid wreaths on the coffins of Rawat and other victims. Lawmakers in India's parliament also observed a period of silence as a mark of respect.

Two black boxes were recovered on Thursday from the site of the crash that killed Rawat, which a witness described as a "fireball."

Meanwhile, students in northern Jammu city paid tribute to Rawat and others killed in the clash by lighting candles and observing silence.