- Two youths stranded atop a water tank in Siddharthnagar were rescued by IAF helicopter
- IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter from Central Air Command carried out a 15-minute rescue at 5:20 am
- Officials from multiple departments were present during the nearly 16-hour-long rescue operation
Two youths, who were stranded atop an old water tank in Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthnagar district, were rescued by an Air Force helicopter early in the morning after a nearly 16-hour-long operation.
An IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter from Central Air Command (CAC) was deployed following a request from state authorities. The aircraft reached Kanshiram Awasiy Colony at around 5:20 am and carried out the rescue in a brief operation that lasted about 15 minutes. The two youths were then airlifted to Gorakhpur.
The District Magistrate (DM), Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Additional Superintendent of Police, SDM, CO Sadar and other officials were present at the site. Officials from the electricity department, municipal administration, district administration and NDRF were also deployed during the rescue operation.
"The children were stranded in the night as the ladder of the water tank was damaged. The rescue mission, yet again, displays the IAF's professionalism and commitment to save lives with a swift response in times of need," said the Indian Air Force in a social media post.
On a request from state government authorities, an IAF Mi 17 V5 of Central Air Command (CAC) was deployed to rescue two stranded children, who were stuck on top of a water tank in Sidharth Nagar in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The children were stranded in the night as the ladder of… pic.twitter.com/dZ2D4shbQS
— CAC, IAF (@CAC_CPRO) May 3, 2026
Authorities had initially attempted to construct an alternative road to enable National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) vehicles to access the site. However, rainfall began at around 3:00 am, disrupting the work, after which help from a military helicopter was sought.
The incident occurred when five youths climbed the structure to film a social media reel at around 1:00 pm. The ladder of the tank broke during the attempt, causing three of them to fall. One youth died, while two others were injured. The remaining two, Pawan and Kallu, were left stranded on top of the tank.
One teenager, identified as Siddharth, died in the incident. Two others, Shani and Golu, are undergoing treatment at Madhav Prasad Tripathi Medical College and are reported to be out of danger.
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