Video: Pregnant Woman, Infant Rescued By Chopper From Tamil Nadu Floods

New Delhi:

A pregnant woman and a one-and-a-half-year-old child, stranded due to floods in Tamil Nadu, were among four people rescued by Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters today and taken to safety in Madurai. 

Four southern districts in Tamil Nadu are experiencing severe flooding after record-breaking rainfall, prompting Chief Minister MK Stalin to schedule a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi for immediate relief measures.

#WATCH | Indian Air Force helicopters are deployed for HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) missions in Tamil Nadu due to unprecedented rains in the last 24 hours. Four passengers including a pregnant woman & baby aged 1.5 yrs were winched up and taken safely to… pic.twitter.com/1mNYkTRFw5

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023

Around 500 passengers stuck for the last 24 hours at a railway station in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district will be rescued today by a special train. The stranded passengers will be brought to Chennai by a special train from Maniyachi before being sent to their homes. 

In Srivaikuntam, soil erosion has ripped away the vital ballast that supported railway tracks. Now, only concrete slabs remain, precariously suspended over churning floodwaters. The desperate situation has trapped passengers, leaving them stranded and waiting for rescue.

The passengers were stuck for the last 24 hours at the Srivaikuntam railway station after it was inundated following heavy rain. Although the rain has subsided in most parts of southern Tamil Nadu, several areas are still flooded. 

The 500 passengers have been stranded since the early hours of Monday and spent the night in train coaches. Around 300 were housed in a nearby school initially. The NDRF, Air Force, railway and local authorities are coordinating the rescue work.

Over 100 people, including 54 women, a pregnant woman, and 19 children, were rescued by a joint effort of troops and local authorities in flood-ravaged Thoothukudi district on Monday night. 

Chief Minister MK Stalin, currently in Delhi, held a virtual meeting with his ministers and collectors of the worst-hit districts – Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, and Tenkasi. Recognising the ongoing plight of stranded residents, Mr Stalin directed officials to ramp up rescue efforts to full capacity, particularly in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli. 

To expedite water removal, authorities have dispatched additional pumps from Chennai to the southern districts. Around 200 boats are also actively deployed across flood-affected areas, ensuring swift intervention and timely assistance to stranded individuals.