The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a rescue operation led by Garud commandos on Monday, 19 August, saving the lives of four men, who were close to drowning in the overflowing Tawi river in Jammu.
In an operation that lasted well over two hours, the stranded people – believed to be local fishermen – were taken to safety using ropes dangled from a chopper.
The fishermen were stranded on a concrete platform at the bottom of a pillar of an under-construction structure to create a lake at Bhagwati Nagar, they said.
The air force was called after state disaster response force and police personnel failed to reach the fishermen, the officials said.
IAF personnel landed on the platform and airlifted them to safety using rope ladders, they said, adding that the water level in the river increased due to sudden heavy rains.
The stranded people were airlifted two at a time, they said.
The fishermen were rescued by harnessing the bodies and attaching the harnesses to a rope.
(With inputs from PTI)
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