Indian Air Force offers airlifts in flooding response

The Indian Air Force helicopters have been dispatched to assist in rescue efforts in the state of Himachal Pradesh, where extensive flooding has taken place.

The official Twitter account of the Indian Ministry of Defence’s New Delhi office announced that ‘in the last 48 hours’ – as of approximately 20:00 hrs Indian Standard Time on Wednesday 16 August – ‘the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force carried out over 50 sorties and rescued over 780 citizens in the flood affected areas of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh’.

Days of heavy rain in the northern state – which lies on the edge of the Himalayas – has caused widespread destruction to property and infrastructure, as well as leading to a substantial loss of life.

At least 60 people are believed to have been killed by the flooding and resultant landslides – including 11 who died while sheltering in a temple in the state capital of Shimla, which subsequently collapsed. Thousands more people have been left stranded due to the disruption of communication and damage to roads.

In a statement on 16 August, Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, confirmed: “More than 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir.”

Sukhu also stated that the disaster was the worst to hit Himachal Pradesh in the past half-century.

In the neighboring state of Uttarakhand, the Rishikesh All India Institute of Medical Sciences has been trialing the delivery of tuberculosis medicine by drone.