Air Force, NDRF rescue trapped

The Air Force chopper Mi17 V5 has rescued as many as 24 villagers who had been trapped inside a two-storeyed building at Pratappur village in West Midnapore's Ghatal on Friday.

The chopper was pressed into service after the Mamata Banerjee government on Thursday sought help from the armed forces. The house was the tallest building in the locality where the villagers had taken shelter after nearby huts or houses were destroyed or were heavily inundated after the embankments of the Silabati river got damaged and the water entered into the villages.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Air Force tried to convince the villagers who were trapped inside the house but the traumatised villagers initially did not allow to be airlifted. The NDRF and Air Force dropped dry food on the roof of the building. Finally, the combined forces managed to convince the people and started the rescue operation. According to sources, the flood has so far claimed 31 lives till the reports last came in on Saturday evening.

The NDRF and Air Force talked to the villagers and finally managed to convince them. The airlifting process was started and 24 persons including many children were rescued till Friday evening when the operation was suspended. The Chief Minister on Friday said that the situation is gradually improving but may be further complicated if the DVC releases more water from the barrages. If there is more rain in Jharkhand, it will have an adverse impact on Bengal. She also mentioned that some people who were trapped in Ghatal have been rescued.

It has been learnt 15 more persons are still trapped in another house in Ghatal. The rescue operation will be carried out on Sunday again. The NDRF jawans air-dropped dry food and medicines to the villagers who were still trapped in the flood affected area. Speed boats and normal boats were pressed into action to rescue the trapped victims. But the speed boats were unable to reach some areas as there were whirlpools due to heavy gush of water following the collapse of embankments of Silabati river.

The rescued people were kept at Sath Sangha Vihar in West Midnapore where the people were provided milk and chocolate. Doctors also treated the villagers after being taken to the relief camp. The people were traumatised even after they were safely brought to the relief camp.

Around 403 relief camps have been opened in the flood affected districts. The flood situation at Hooghly's Khanakul deteriorated with the local residents complaining that relief materials were not reaching the affected areas properly.