IAF choppers douse Nagaland forest fire

For the first time in the country's history, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Tuesday carried out at least five sorties to douse a devastating forest fire in Nagaland, a spokesman said.

"The IAF carried out sorties using MI-17V5 helicopters to douse the forest fire at Mount Japfu, the second highest peak in Nagaland," said a spokesman of the Eastern Air Command in Shillong.

Mount Japfu is located in the Southern Angami region of Kohima district.

The IAF launched the operation around 6 a.m. and ran five sorties till the evening. The task was difficult as wind was blowing at a speed of 45 km per hour.

The IAF spotted two pockets of one-km radius that were hit by the forest fire and were inaccessible by land, he said.

Each sortie lifted on an average 2.5 tonnes of water and dropped it from a height of three km.

The operation was launched after a request from the state government Monday.

Forest officials said the fire broke out Thursday and villagers and volunteers were trying to douse the blaze since then.