Manasbal: About 180 students of two medical colleges of Srinagar greeted with relief the sight of Mi-17 choppers landing at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base on Saturday, but as they were ferried to safety they did not forget the unknown hands that rescued them when floodwater entered their hostel early this week.
"We are thankful to the local people who evacuated us to safety from the hostel building at Government Medical College, Srinagar as the flood water kept rising," Kusum, a first-year MBBS student, told PTI on board an IAF helicopter.
Kusum, 31 other students, a doctor couple and their two infant kids were the first lot of persons to be evacuated from Manasbal Airbase to Srinagar Airport for their onward journey to their native places.
"Just the sight of landing of the helicopter was a massive relief from the anxiety we were going through over the past five days," Jagrit Kaul of Channi Himmat in Jammu said.
Recalling the scene, Kusum said as soon as water started to rise, students shifted their belongings to higher floors of the hostel building. "...but As the water level continued to rise, we told the warden that we want to leave the hostel and move to safety," she said.
Kritika Thapa, another student, said as no official help came forth, the local residents broke through the roof of the hostel building and evacuated all of them to safety.
They connected the first floor of the building to the boundary wall and from there on it was a dangerous trek, but also the only hope, to safety, Thapa said.
The students were all praise for their principal who made arrangements for them for the night before relocation to a relief camp at Illahi Bagh in Soura area. After four days at the camp, the students were moved to Ganderbal yesterday and from there to the airbase here this morning.
The students, however, had very harsh words for the state administration. No one from the government has come forward to help us till this moment. "This (IAF evacuation) is the first help from official machinery we are receiving in a week," Thapa said.
The story was almost similar for the students from SKIMS Medical College in Bemina who somehow managed to flee the rising water level and reach safety. Despite all difficulties and near-death experience, the students are praying for quick return to normalcy in Kashmir so that they can come back and pursue their studies but in a changed perspective now.
"I want to come back and become a good doctor... I want to serve the needy people throughout my life like those who have served me over the last one week," said Sana Chaudhary.
A senior IAF officer said six sorties are required to airlift the students from Manasbal.
