Monsoon 2020 image: Man holds on to a tree for 16 hours in Bilaspur before IAF rescues him
In dramatic videos, a man sits on a boulder and holds on to the branch of a tree as water gushes out of an overflowing dam. He held on to the tree for 16 hours until an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper rescued him this morning at Khutaghat Dam near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.
The 34-year-old man had jumped off a bridge onto the boulder last evening but was trapped in the raging waters after heavy rain. The dam is a popular picnic spot which saw a number of visitors on Sunday.
"An IAF chopper today rescued a man identified as Jitendra Kashyap, at Khutaghat Dam...Due to heavy flow in the dam, IAF was requested to carry out a rescue operation," Dipanshu Kabra, Inspector General, Bilaspur Range told NDTV.
Levels of most water bodies in the state have risen and rivers like the Sabari are in spate as heavy rainfall pounded Chhattisgarh for the last few days. Parts of Sukma district and surrounding areas have been flooded. An alert has been issued in the areas affected by Godavari river also. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday said, scattered rainfall is expected over the next five days in several states including Chhattisgarh. Monsoon has been active over two-thirds of India.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday directed all district officials and the police to stay alert in view of the continuous rainfall, and make necessary arrangements to deal with flood-like situation.
South Bastar, comprising Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma districts are among the worst-hit by the continuous downpour. In these areas the water level in rivers has been steadily rising since the last 2-3 days. Several villages in interior areas have been cut off. In Bijapur district, around 100 villages have been cut-off due to the overflowing Mingachal and other rivers, a district official told news agency Press Trust of India.