A flood-affected family being evacuated by an Air Force Helicopter in J&K on Saturday. (Press Trust of India Photo)
The Army today said that it has rescued a 28-member Pakistani golf team and the Ambassador of Nepal from the flood-affected areas of Srinagar.
The Pakistani team was there to take part in a SAARC golf tournament while the 17-member Nepalese team was there for official work, Army officials said in new Delhi.
The Army has deployed more than 20,000 troops in 220 columns for rescue operations and asked all its units deployed there to help out people in distress. The IAF has pressed 61 aircraft in action for the purpose, they said. "Armed forces and NDRF have so far rescued 47,227 persons in different regions of the state.
Army has deployed 220 columns of its personnel for rescue and relief operations, in which 135 columns are deployed in Srinagar region and 85 columns in Jammu region," a Defence Ministry release said.
In order to meet the shortage of food in flood-affected areas, cooked eatables are being sent from Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad on a large scale, it said. So far, 451 sorties have been undertaken by helicopters and aircraft of Air Force and 563 tonnes of relief materials have been dropped by it.
The Army has also brought in 200 more assault boats from places such as Bhatinda, Jalandhar and other areas to help in rescuing the stranded people in Srinagar and other affected areas, they said.
The Army officials said that till yesterday, it was felt that the troops were short of boats but with the induction of these 200 boats, the shortages have been met adequately.