IAF rescues four fishermen stranded in flooded Tawi

laxmi@tribune.com

Ranjit Thakur

Jammu, August 19

Four fishermen were rescued by the Indian Air Force after they had been caught in an overflowing Tawi river in Jammu on Monday. The fishermen rescued are Balli Ram, Shri Bhagwan, Jodhan Parshad and Ravinder Parshad, all natives of Bihar. 

Sudden increase of water in the river left the men stranded around 12:15 pm. The IAF was contacted after the State Disaster Response Force and police personnel failed to reach the fishermen.

“We got a call from a PCR about four fishermen stranded on a concrete platform at the bottom of a pillar of an under-construction structure in Bhagwati Nagar. Within no time, rescue operation was launched by the State Disaster Response Force, but due to strong currents of water they were unable to rescue them,” said Vinay Sharma, a senior police officer.

“We made a request to the Air Force through administration and soon after a IAF helicopter was pressed into action, which then launched a ‘daring’ rescue operation and saved all four lives. It was a joint operation which lasted for around two hours,” the officer said.