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| Rescue op around cave shrine to conclude in 2-3 days: IAF | | |
Srinagar, July 11 (UNI) Airforce would complete the rescue operation around Amarnath cave area in two-three days, a senior Indian Air Force officer said on Monday.
At least 16 Yatris died and over 30 are still missing due to the flash floods near the Amarnath Cave on July 8 evening.
Air Commodore Pankaj Mittal said initial response to Amarnath cloudburst kept death toll low.
".. due to the initial efforts which people put in on the first day and because of that the fatality rate and the number of casualties was really limited," Air Commodore Pankaj Mittal told reporters here.
While giving details about the rescue operations, he said the major part of rescue and relief operations was over.
"Major efforts has already gone through and they have already cleared the opening of the yatra again. We think in a day or two, we will be able to clear the area for anything else," he added.
Air Commodore Mittal said that major air operations for relief and rescue started on July 9 from 8 am.
“The assets which we used were four MI-17 V5 from the base unit here and four cheetals, which augmented from the unit at Leh and two more fixed wing assets which brought in manpower and assets from other parts of the country," he added.
The IAF officer said despite inclement weather, the IAF was able to carry out 112 missions.
“During this course of time we carried out evacuations of 123 peoples from the Cave as well as Panjtarni. Approximately, 29 tonnes of material was flown in from this base and other places to the shrine," he said.
Mittal said weather was a major challenge in mounting the rescue and relief operations.
“The valley (cave shrine) being narrow and due to clouding, choppers were finding it difficult to enter," he said.
The officer said the rescue and relief efforts would not have been possible without coordination and cooperation between various agencies. He lauded the role played by various agencies in carrying out the rescue and relief operations |
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