Visakhapatnam: The Vizag-based Indian Navy chopper with night vision cameras has rescued a stranded villager in Swarnamukhi River during night at Parvatipuram in Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh.
40-year-old D.Simhachalam was marooned in the middle of the river due to flash floods caused by the cyclone Gulab, which hit the Andhra Pradesh coast on September 26.
Based on an SOS request received from Andhra Pradesh State Administration officials on Monday evening, the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), headquarters Visakhapatnam, has deployed an Advanced Light Helicopter from INS Dega here for the search and rescue operation.
After arriving at the location, nearly 120kms from Vizag, the aircraft could not locate the village due to bad weather condition.
Then, a Seaking 42C helicopter with suitable Night Vision Devices was launched to undertake the rescue mission at about 11 PM. Despite the rainy weather and strong wind the Seaking helicopter undertook a search and located the survivor.
The helicopter hovered over the survivor in the River Suvarnamukhi at a very low altitude to pick him up. The aircraft returned to INS Dega wherein first aid was provided and the survivor was later shifted to KGH in Vizag for further medical treatment. His family members were informed of his wellbeing by the Naval Air Station.
The survivor who belongs to Venkatabhairavapalem village in Vizianagaram District was thankful for the Indian Navy and Chief Minister Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy for the timely help at night which saved his life.
