Eight marooned men airlifted to safety in Haryana

Chandigarh, July 27 (IANS) All eight persons who were stranded at village Mandhewal on the bank of the Yamuna river in Yamunanagar district of Haryana were airlifted to safety, a spokesperson of Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management department said on Wednesday.

"Deputy Commissioner S.S. Phulia, Superintendent of Police Manish Chaudhary and other senior officers of the district administration reached the spot. As the velocity of water in the river was very high, it was impossible to reach the affected persons in a boat. Therefore, the only means to save them was to press a helicopter into service," the spokesperson said.

Following a request by the Yamunanagar district administration, the Haryana government requisitioned an MI-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

"Eight persons -- Balbir Singh, Ram, Sohan Lal, Rampal, Amit, Dukhan and Suresh -- all residents of Kolliwala in district Yamunanagar and Ramesh, a resident of Uttar Pradesh were airlifted,” the spokesperson said.

The Yamuna river is flowing at capacity following heavy rainfall in neighbouring Uttarakhand, from where it originates.