Kathua disaster: Army presses choppers into rescue operation

The Army on Sunday, 17 August, deployed helicopters and several columns in the cloudburst-hit Jodh Ghati village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.

The calamity struck the village and Janglote amid heavy overnight rains, leaving seven persons dead.

Several army columns were inducted into the operation in the affected areas to rescue stranded people and evacuate the injured to hospitals, the officials said.

An Army helicopter deployed for rescue operations in Ghatti airlifted 15 people to hospital, they added.

The Dhruv helicopters airlifted injured to a hospital in Pathankot in Punjab.

Troops from Rising Star Corps are working on the ground with police, SDRF and locals to rescue families, providing food and medical care, the officials said.

Deputy commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma who is supervising the operation, said relief and rescue efforts are underway after seven people lost their lives in rain-triggered landslides in the district.

“Heavy rainfall has caused significant damage in Kathua, and unfortunately, we have also lost lives. Five people died and seven were injured, and two more lives were lost in Janglote. We are ensuring the supply of essential items, though connectivity issues persist. Efforts are being made to provide supplies by air,” he said.