NE NEWS SERVICE
NW DELHI, JULY 9
After a flash flood and cloudburst in the holy shrine cave of Amarnath, the Indian Air Force has pressed its transport and helicopter assets into service for rescue and relief operations at Amarnath.
At least 13 people were killed as a flash flood caused by a cloudburst swept away scores of people at the sacred cave of Amarnath on Saturday. J&K DGP Dilbag Singh said 13 pilgrims were killed in the cloudburst that hit the area at around 5.30 pm.
Following the unfortunate cloudburst near the Amarnath shrine cave, #IAF helicopter and transport aircraft have commenced operations to airlift #NDRF personnel to the site and rescue the pilgrims. pic.twitter.com/OnhyVK6or7
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 9, 2022
Operating in inclement weather & in an effort which continued throughout the day, eight Cheetal & MI 17 V5 helicopters of #IAF airlifted over 13 Tons of relief load & evacuated 109 injured pilgrims from the site affected by the cloud burst. pic.twitter.com/DwEPgsu3cc
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 9, 2022
Six pilgrims were evacuated by Army helicopters while rescue efforts continued into the night nearby. Adding to it Indian Air Force has deployed 2 ALH Dhruv helicopters along with 2 Mi-17 V5s to participate in the rescue operations. Moreover, One AN-32 and Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft have been kept on standby in Chandigarh for further requirements.
“Air rescue operations were started this morning as six pilgrims were evacuated. The military medical teams are receiving patients and casualties at the Nilagrar helipad for onward evacuation,” an official said on Saturday. The Army official said mountain rescue teams and lookout patrols were on the job to search for the missing people.
Mi-17V5 helicopters have inducted NDRF and civil administration personnel at Panchtarni and rescued 21 survivors. The helicopters have also brought back six mortal remains. Further operations by IAF Mi-17V5 and Cheetal helicopters are in progress. Aircraft are on standby at all major air bases in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh areas.
The relief and rescue operation is underway. All teams including NDRF, SDRF, Indian Army, and State forces are working in coordination. It is difficult to predict the exact time to complete the rescue operation, said Lt Col Sachin Sharma