IAF C-130J On 16 Jun heavy rains wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh leaving thousands stranded inclu...
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| IAF C-130J |
On 16 Jun heavy rains wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh leaving thousands stranded including pilgrims in transit in various valleys.
In one of the largest operations in several decades, the Indian Army and Air Force mounted massive rescue and relief operations in the flood and landslide affected areas, while the Border Roads Organisation deployed 3000 of its personnel and equipment, working for various projects, to clear the roads and to rescue the stranded people.
Indian Air Force launched its search and rescue Operation ‘Rahat’ with its newly inducted Mi-17 V5 medium lift helicopters, Mi-17, HAL Dhruv, HAL chetak helos.
Later the newly inducted C-130J Hercules airlifters and Mi-26 heavy lift helicopter also joined the SAR operations.
36 rotary wing aircrafts( 23 Mi 17IV/Mi 17 V5, 11 ALH, 01 Cheetah, 01 Mi 26), three C130Js, three AN-32, one AVRO HS-748 and one IL-76 airlifters were intially deployed. Some private helicopters like Eurocopter Ecureil, Bell 405 are also been used.
The Indian Air Force later deployed 13 more aircraft for relief and rescue operations. 55 helicopters are now being used in what is the military's largest rescue and relief operation ever.
Indian Army so far has evacuated more than 18,500 people and deployed 10,000 soldiers for rescue and relief operations.
IAF activated landing grounds at Gauchar and, Dharasuin, Uttarakhand to establish air bridge for chopper movement and now operates ALH Dhruv and Cheetah helicopters from Gaucher.
On Saturday, Mi-26 landed at Gaucher with 30 barrels of fuel and 70 army paratroppers.
IAF needs 55 kilolitres of ATF every day at Gauchar. So far more than 110 kilolitres of ATF has been delivered for the helicopter involved in rescue operations.Refueller is also on the way to be positioned at Dharasu.
Backup supplies for these refuellers have also been arranged and 198 kilolitres of ATF is in transit to various locations.
As of Saturday, IAF has flown 768 sorties in which 103350 kgs of load has been dropped/landed and 5347 passengers airlifted.
The first C 130J aircraft landed at Dharasu(a landing ground only 1300 meters long) on saturday early morning for the first time despite inclement weather. On landing the aircraft defueled 8000 litres of fuel into an empty bowser which was airlifted yesterday from Sarsawa by a Mi 26 helicopter. With the availability of additional fuel now at Dharasu, the extraction, evacuation and rescue operations have picked up pace and the available helicopters are now able to do more number of sorties.
Apart from the carrying fuel to Dharasu, the first C-130J on its return trip carried about 40 and the second about 100 injured and stranded pilgrims to the Hindon Air Force Station at Delhi. An emergency medical centre has been set up at Air Force Station Hindan for the medical check-up of all the arriving tourists for immediate attention.
The first two C-130J aircraft carried fuel to Dharasu while the third is carried a Medical team of the IAF to attend to sick people at Dharasu itself before were moved out to safer place.
Having paved the way for fixed wing aircraft landing at Dharasu, the IAF pressed its An-32 aircraft also into action. The aircraft carried Disaster Communication equipment vehicle, aviation fuel, Sudan pumps for refueling the helicopters and 4200 kgs of bridging equipment of BRO.
Officials in New Delhi said the HAL-built Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), which can carry 10-16 people on heights of 10,000 feet, performed effectively in dropping paratroopers and evacuating stranded people.
The heavy lift Mi 26 helicopter is also airlifting the heavy equipment of BRO to facilitate road repair and construction work.
While the fuel bridging has given impetus to rescue operations, increased flying activity in the narrow valleys is posing a new challenge to traffic management and safe flying. IAF has inducted additional personnel to ensure smooth planning, coordination and execution of flying operations, be it Air Force, Army or civilian operators.
Indian Railways is moving people and relief supplies free of charge.
Over 73,000 people have so far been evacuated from the flood and landslide-hit areas of Uttarakhand as rescuers intensified their efforts to help those stranded in different inaccessible parts of the hill state.
