Herculean rescue operations in J&K

Date:

Srinagar: Massive rescue operations are underway to evacuate tens of thousands of people stranded in floods in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation remains grim on Monday with many parts of Srinagar city under 12 feet of water and communication lines being cut-off.

As authorities struggle to deal with the situation, a landslide is reported from Pachori village in Udhampur district and mitigation forces reached the area to rescue the few people trapped.

IAF has deployed 29 planes and helicopters while the Army has deployed 184 columns (75-100 personnel each). A total of 25 boats have been launched in flooded areas of Srinagar city to ferry people out.

Over 20,000 people have been rescued from various areas by the Army and the IAF. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Sunday that it had rescued almost 4000 people.

Two IL 76 and one AN 32 aircraft carried a total of 50 tonnes of supplies including food, water and medicines. The aircraft operated right through the night.

Flood fury has so far claimed the lives of over 170 people and damaged many buildings, including hospitals. The Army cantonment, Civil Secretariat and the High Court in Srinagar have also been inundated. “We are facing a big problem of communication as all links are down. We are not able to communicate with our teams sent on ground in this flood-ravaged areas.

Also, as water level is high in many places personnel are not able to reach the stranded, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Chief O P Singh told reporters in Delhi. “We have launched a massive operation in the state and divided the state into three zones for smooth conduct of operations. Each zone will be headed by a commandant-rank officer and there will be an overall supervision of a DIG,” he said.

The NDRF Director-General said massive operations are being undertaken in the submerged areas of Goglibagh, Batmalu, Badami Bagh and Bakshi Stadium area of state capital Srinagar apart from other areas.

He said over 13 bodies have also been recovered by NDRF teams in the state till now. Over 500 satellite phones have also been dispatched to aid rescuers deployed in both Jammu and Kashmir Valley areas, he said.

The waters from the swollen Jhelum have turned Srinagar into a giant lake. The water level is constantly rising and is two to three storeys high in areas like Raj Bagh. People have moved to hospitals and other high rise building to escape the rising water. The Army cantonment, Civil Secretariat and the High Court, and many hospitals in Srinagar are inundated.

Areas like Pulwama, Anantnag and Shopian in south and central Kashmir are completely cut off with roads and bridges swept away. The state government has ordered all schools to remain closed till September 12. Many people are now living in relief camps and temporary shelters.

There has been no electricity in many areas for hours now all over the state including Srinagar. Phone lines are down and people have reported that they have been unable to contact stranded families since Sunday night. Helplines and even social media sites are flooded with SOS messages giving details of families awaiting rescue.

(With PTI inputs)

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