New Delhi: Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter crash in which Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed is critical, getting treatment at the military hospital in Wellington.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement in both the Houses of the Parliament stated that “Varun Singh condition is critical but stable. He is in life support, all effort has been to save his life”, Mr. Singh informed the Parliament.

Captain Varun Singh has received Shaurya Chakra in August for his courage in handling his aircraft after it was hit by major technical issues during a manoeuvre last year.

He landed his Tejas fighter safely despite the mid-air emergency. Group Captain Singh had gone to Sulur to receive General Rawat and escort him to the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. General Rawat was to address the faculty and students at the institute, where Group Captain Singh was Directing Staff.

The paternal village of Group Captain Singh is in eastern Uttar Pradesh's Deoria and his father K P Singh retired from the Army as colonel.

Speaking to the media, Group Captain Singh's uncle Dinesh Pratap Singh said, "He is currently in hospital, we will get information about his condition when the Air Force issues a bulletin."  However, the remaining 13 bodies recovered from the crash site were badly charred.