Nahan (HP), Sep 1 (PTI) Two persons stranded in the waters of the swollen Roon river in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district were safely rescued late on Tuesday evening by an Army helicopter flown in from Chandigarh.
Nahan SDM Rajiv Sankhyan supervised the operation at the site, alongside rescue teams from police, administration and fire department, officials said.
According to police, the two rescued individuals are residents of Verma Papri village, identified as Banarasi Das (65) and Anshul (32). Anshul is an employee of the Jal Shakti Department.
Earlier, police, fire department teams and locals had been unable to rescue the two men, until 7.30 pm on Tuesday. Consequently, the administration requisitioned an Army helicopter from Chandigarh for the rescue.
Ramchandra, a villager and eyewitness, said the rescue operation was carried out in the dark and with a lot of difficulty. The Army helicopter first airlifted the elderly Banarasi Das and then Anshul.
Locals told PTI that Banarasi Das had taken his buffaloes to graze near the river on Tuesday afternoon when a sudden surge in water levels left him stranded in the river.
Seeing him trapped, another villager, Anshul (32), went out to rescue him, but was unable to return due to the strong current and he was stranded as well.
Locals initially attempted a rescue by sending two men into the river with ropes tied around their waists, but neither could reach the stranded individuals due to the powerful flow of the water.
Subsequently, teams from the administration, police and fire department arrived at the scene and attempted to rescue them, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Eyewitnesses said that around 8 pm, the Army helicopter launched its challenging rescue operation and completed it in about an hour. PTI COR BPL PRK
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