The Indian Air Force (IAF) Wednesday launched a series of extensive relief and rescue missions amid rain induced floods and rising water level in the rivers in Jammu region and northern Punjab.
Five Mi-17 helicopters and a Chinook chopper were pressed into service from nearby bases in the Northern Sector, including Chandigarh, ensuring maximum rescue capability and operational reach, an IAF spokesperson said. Additional helicopters remain on standby to join the rescue efforts, the spokesperson said.
An IAF C-130 transport aircraft, loaded with relief and rescue material along with a NDRF team reached Jammu to provide critical supplies and trained personnel for ongoing rescue efforts in the area.
In the Akhnoor area near Jammu, 12 Army troops and 11 BSF personnel including three BSF woman constables were winched up to safety from flood-affected areas. In Pathankot area of Punjab, IAF helicopters successfully evacuated more than 40 stranded civilians as flooding intensified. Further, over 750 kilograms of essential relief material was air dropped to support local communities.
“Fifty employees of the Punjab Irrigation Department, including the XEN, SDO, and other staff, were stranded at Madhopur Headworks when a gate of the barrage suddenly broke while they were working to open the gates of the dam,” Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal said, adding “the IAF airlifted all the stranded irrigation officials”.
In Dera Baba Nanak of Punjab, 38 Army personnel and 10 of BSF were rescued by winching them up from the severely flood hit region under perilous conditions.
“The deployment of advanced air assets and highly skilled crews ensured swift, safe evacuations and efficient delivery of aid in the midst of extreme weather,” the IAF spokesperson said.