Gujarat: Coast Guard airlifts 10 men stranded in rising Damanganga

Coast Guard helicopter airlifts one of the stranded men.

Ten people from a village in Valsad district were airlifted by Indian Coast Guard personnel after water levels in Damanganga river rose suddenly on Saturday.

“A helicopter from the Coast Guard had to be called in after the group was stranded in middle of the Damanganga river. All of them have been rescued,” Remya Mohan Muthadath,district collector told The Sunday Express. The incident happened near Borikachi village, where a group was searching for the body of a person who had drowned in the river.

During the search, water level of the river suddenly rose due to release of water from a dam, leaving the group stranded on a portion of high ground in the middle of the river. The Coast Guard was informed after the local administration found it difficult to rescue the stranded group.

According to a release, the Indian Coast Guard Air Station in Daman received a telephonic information from Valsad administration regarding 10 people being trapped in the rising Damanganga around 4.30 pm.

The station soon activated the Coast Guard Chetak helicopter. The pilot manoeuvred the helicopter safely despite strong wind and inclement weather, reached the site and identified the stranded group. All 10 men were airlifted, and shifted to a safe location in one hour.