Jammu, Aug 12 (IANS): Two women marooned in floods in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district were on Wednesday rescued in a heroic mission by the Indian Air Force (IAF) braving bad weather and low-flying conditions.
"The IAF launched a Chetak helicopter from the Air Force Station Udhampur in the afternoon after receiving an SOS call from Bilawar village," Colonel S.D. Goswami, spokesman of the army's Udhampur-headquartered Northern Command, told IANS.
"The helicopter flown by Wing Commander V. Takawale and Flight Lieutenant Pravin had to fly low to reach the place due to heavy clouds."
Two women were to be rescued from a small island formed in between the swelled-up river. The pilots manoeuvred the helicopter in the restricted airspace, landed on the island, and rescued the women.
There has been incessant rain in the hills of Kathua district since Wednesday morning, leading to swelling up of all tributaries.