Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Flying succour to tsunami-hit

By Subha J Rao

Personnel of the Indian Air Force, Sulur base, who flew sorties to rescue the tsunami victims, line up alongside an AN 32 which was used extensively in the relief efforts along with IAF helicopters. — Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

COIMBATORE, JAN. 7. When tsunami was unleashing waves of destruction across South East Asia reducing seaside towns to rubble, officers at the Air Force Station in Sulur here were spending their Sunday like `any other average Indian.'

Till news of tsunami's fury was flashed on television. Soon, the officers, who spend only Sunday on the ground, worked double quick to ensure they were not found wanting when asked to launch rescue operations. "Even those on leave volunteered to join the efforts," says Wing Commander B. S. Yadav, Flight Commander, 33 Squadron.

Six AN-32 transport planes and an equal number of helicopters were pressed into service to help stranded people in Andaman and Nicobar, Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, the Sri Lankan coast and the Maldives. The sorties to Car Nicobar, where many IAF personnel and their families perished when the waves hit their sea-front homes, were all the more poignant.

Food and evacuation

"We used to fly there thrice a week. The rest room, where we used to spend the night, was destroyed and the fridge was hanging from a tree," recalls Fl. Lt. Praveen Mishra.

"We are also human, and get affected. Usually, in such situations, we are in the air as fast as possible so that no brooding sets in," adds Group Captain R. Stephen, Station Commander, Air Force, Sulur. The first task on reaching the affected areas in Andaman and Nicobar was to feed the teeming population, which had gathered, near the damaged airstrip in Car Nicobar. Then, came the task of evacuation.

"We wanted to airlift women and children first. But, most of them were unwilling to leave the husbands behind. It took some convincing before we got them on board," states Wg. Cmdr. Aserkar. In Sri Lanka, the helicopter unit helped evacuate more than 500 people, mostly tourists and the injured, and also flew in 85 tonnes of relief material, says Sq. Ldr. P. Ramesh of 109 Helicopter Unit. "Some teams are still there to look after the civilians who have stayed back."

So far, the AN-32s have helped evacuate about 3,000 people in near-continuous sorties. The disaster also brought to the fore certain basic emotions. Take the case of the mother who searched for her daughter for two days in Port Blair. Finally, she started mothering an orphaned kid.

The officials were also impressed by the way in which people handled themselves. Even those officials based in Car Nicobar, who lost their all started handling the movement of civilians. "The safety of people is paramount and they lived up to that," says Group Captain I P Vipin, Commanding Officer, 33 Squadron.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Flying succour to tsunami-hit
Garbage set ablaze, residents aggrieved
Police appeal to widows and wards
Homam for departed souls of tsunami
In Coimbatore Today
Civic body at its wits' end

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu