Haryana: IAF rescues 9 members of family from flooded field

Braving bad weather and low visibility in the wee hours of Monday, the Indian Air Force airlifted to safety nine members of a family, including six children, stranded in an inundated field near a swollen Yamuna river here.

Heavy rains over the past few days have resulted in flooding in some parts of the state.

Mustakin and eight members of his family had gone to the field in Gadhpur Tapu village on Sunday night and got stranded due to a rise in the water levels in Yamuna, the Haryana government said in statement.

The stranded persons included two women and six children, it said.

When the matter came to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's notice, he immediately directed deputy commissioner, Karnal, Vinay Pratap Singh, to take action to save the family, the official statement said.

It was not possible to use a boat for the rescue operation due to the strong current in the river and low visibility at night, it said.

Air Force Station, Sarsawa in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district was contacted for the operation, it added.

Assisted by the Haryana Police, the IAF personnel rescued the family, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said.

Haryana's Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has issued a high flood warning, alerting deputy commissioners of Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Faridabad and Palwal districts.