15 days' old baby, distressed mother marooned in Punjab's flood-hit village rescued by Army

The Indian Army used improvisation to rescue a young mother along with her newborn who had been marooned in a flood-hit village in Punjab and used boats and other vehicles to transport them to a safe location.

 “Sappers of the Kharga Corps received information of a distressed mother, having undergone C-section operation, stuck in an inundated village along with her 15-day-old baby,” an officer said on Sunday.

“The troops swung into action and rescued them from the first floor of a building with an improvised ladder, and then evacuated them over 3 km in a boat, followed by 15 km in an Army vehicle to a safer place,” he added.

Enhancing its flood-relief operations, the Army has deployed as many as 47 columns to carry out extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in parts of Punjab and Jammu that have been inundated by heavy floods.

Army Aviation and Indian Air Force Helicopters have also been activated along with formation engineers, medical teams and communication resources to provide immediate relief, a spokesperson for Western Command said on Sunday.

Aviation assets have been extensively deployed, with 20 aircraft, including three Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters, 10 reconnaissance and observation helicopters, six Mi-17 and one Chinook to carry out evacuations and supply essential relief material.

Besides the Jammu region, many areas in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Kapurthala and Jalandhar districts have been affected by floods. Many of the areas lie along the course of the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers.

Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, GOC-in-C Western Command, visited the forward areas affected by the floods to review the ongoing HADR operations.

The Army Commander expressed satisfaction over the high level of preparedness, swift deployment of columns and round-the-clock efforts in evacuating stranded civilians, providing them medical aid and essential supplies, and restoring connectivity.

“In flood-affected areas of Kapurthala along the Beas River, troops of Vajra Corps are carrying out relief operations — evacuating stranded families and livestock, providing medical assistance, safeguarding property, and distributing essential supplies,” a post by the Corps on its X handle said on Sunday.