Mumbai: The Indian Air Force (IAF) Saturday launched a rescue operation to airlift more than 120 people stuck in different areas of Thane district in Maharashtra due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains. Heavy rainfall since Friday evening caused the Ulhas river to overflow and areas like Kalyan, Badlapur and Shahad experienced flooding, stranding several people.
In an unprecedented occurrence in Kamba, Kalyan, the premises of a big petrol pump were entirely submerged leaving 35 people stuck at the petrol pump till Saturday afternoon.
There was so much water that trucks and lorries were fully under water and auto-rickshaws and cars were seen floating in it. Truck drivers sat atop the trucks, awaiting the rescue teams till afternoon. At least 70 people were stranded in Badlapur town.
Another 45 people were stuck at a private resort in Shahad, 46 kilometres away from the main town. “A rescue operation was launched with the help of the Indian Air Force after we received a call at 11am, requesting an airlift from the terrace of the petrol pump. An IAF helicopter was dispatched to the spot and also to the resort in Shahad. All of them have been rescued,” an official from the disaster management unit said.
The National Disaster Response Force, local police, fire brigade, and disaster management force were deployed for the rescue operations. In another operation carried out by a helicopter-borne IAF team, nine persons were rescued from a rooftop in Kalyan, an official said. The building is close to the Ulhas river which breached its banks, the official said.
