With Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh reeling under floods caused by incessant rains, the Army and Air Force evacuated thousands of people in these states on Tuesday.
The Army deployed around 5,000 men, even as the Air Force flew in 10 helicopters to transport rescue teams, food, medical supplies and stranded people. With nature’s fury remaining unabated for the past three days, several parts of the three states were hit by flash floods, resulting in the Armed Forces getting involved in relief work, defence officials said.
An Army column of 100 men evacuated over 4,000 pilgrims across the broken bridge at Govindghat in Uttarakhand.
About 1,800 pilgrims were further moved from Govindghat to Joshimath. Medical aid, food and lodging facilities were provided to over 1,300 people at Joshimath. Over 200 sets of blankets, sleeping bags, combat jackets and balaclavas were also distributed to the evacuated pilgrims, the Army said.
Another Army column was employed for clearing a major landslide near Patal Ganga at Joshimath.
“The Narendranagar-Dharasu road is blocked at 10 locations due to landslides and washing away of bridges and culverts. An Army column has been deployed along the road for rescue and relief work,” the Army said.
In Haryana’s Yamunanagar district, two Army columns -- comprising 200 men in all -- have so far rescued 103 people, including 37 children from nearby villages.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, Army personnel undertook relief work and evacuation of civilians from affected areas around the city. “The column is now moving to Shamli for evacuating a marooned family,” the Army said.
The IAF, meanwhile, continued with its ‘Operation Rahat’ by operating 10 helicopters from the Jollygrant airfield in Dehradun on Tuesday.