Kolkata: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday launched three C130J Super Hercules aircraft for cyclone relief missions in Odisha. The first of the three landed at Bhubaneswar at around 9 pm.
Eastern Air Command spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said, “In a quick response towards Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief in the wake of Cyclone Fani, the IAF has dispatched three C-130Js Super Hercules aircraft to Bhubaneswar.”
He elaborated, “The aircraft are carrying around 45 tonnes of relief material, including medicines, for the cyclone hit locations. The aircrafts were positioned at Hindon airbase and crew were on standby for relief mission subject to request from the ministry of health and possibility of air operations at possible at cyclone hit areas.”
Wg Cdr Singh added, “The crew will also set up a contingency response group at Bhubaneswar for controlling ground operations. The first three aircraft were led by Group Captain A. Verma, Wg Cdr H.R. Bhatt and Wg Cdr R Nanda.”
Earlier, a Mi17-V5 chopper landed at Bhubaneswar from Guwahati airbase in Assam for disaster relief in the afternoon. Besides, an AN 32 aircraft, carrying two specialist engineers from Kolkata with repair equipment for restoring water supply in Bhubaneswar, left for the city.
Meanwhile, five Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) with two helicopters and relief supplies have been deployed off Odisha and West Bengal coasts. ICGS Shaunak was launched in the morning to assess the damage due to cyclone and subsequent disbursement of relief material.
Simultaneously, the ships are undertaking reconnaissance off the coasts of the two states to locate any marooned fishing boats. Presently, no boat or vessel has reported any distress.
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