Dimapur, July 10 : The incessant rains lashing the Rewa district and areas around have created havoc and continued since Thursday on an ever increasing gusto.
PRO (Defence) Col C Konwer in a press note said, the check dams were unable to contain the heavy pour. The small rivulets and hilly springs of the region were soon inundated as more than 200 mm rain poured over the area within a small frame of twenty-four hours.
On July 7, the Madhya Pradesh government requested IAF for help when few local youths were stuck in the swelling Tamas River and were clinging to a tree in the middle of raging river. The IAF Central Air Command readily responded to the call and launched an ALH helicopter to the rescue of the marooned youth.
The mission demanded high skill and flying accuracy as the hover had to be established very high from the ground so that the people clinging onto the tree for their life do not come under the effect of rotor downwash.
The pilot Wg Cdr Nand Kumar Bala who also happened to be the Commanding Officer of the No. 111 Helicopter Unit with his skill and experience executed the mission precisely and winched the youth to safety one by one. In this mission he was assisted by his Co-pilot Flt Lt Vishnu and Flight Gunner JWO Shukla.
