The Indian Air Force on Sunday continued relief work in flood-affected areas of Assam with the help of airlift rescue teams to provide relief materials to the affected people.
Taking to Twitter, IAF wrote, “#FloodReliefInAssam Efforts are continuing to evacuate citizens and airlift rescue teams and relief material to areas cut off due to floods in Assam. #IAF has deployed its transport aircraft and helicopters for the task.”
Two Mi-17 helicopters, and one each of Chinook helicopter, An-32 transport aircraft and ALH Dhruv were deployed by the IAF on Saturday. As many as 119 passengers stranded at Ditokchera railway station were evacuated.
A total of 20 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been positioned in the flood-affected areas while working closely with the state government, reported ANI.
According to officials, 24,749 stranded persons have been rescued so far with the help of the Indian army, state disaster response force (SDRF), NDRF and volumes.
NDRF inspector Mahip Mourya informed that the teams deployed for the rescue operations have been able to rescue close to 500 people from the flood-affected villages in the Hojai district.
He said, “Many did not want to leave their homes so we took relief and ration materials to them at their homes.”
Meanwhile, 499 relief camps and 519 relief distribution centres have been opened in all affected areas which are currently housing as many as 92,124 people, according to Assam state disaster management authority (ASDMA).
In addition, 8,39,691 people from 3,246 villages in 32 districts have been affected by the floods, out of which six districts have been affected by landslides in Assam, according to ASDMA reports.
As per the official data, 18 people have 18 people have lost their lives in the extreme weather conditions, while 100,732.43 hectares of croplands have been affected by the natural calamity in Assam.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a wet spell over Northeast and East India from May 21 to May 24 with its peak intensity on May 23.
