Indian Navy brings relief material to devastated city
Posted on: 05/Dec/2015 11:32:10 AM
The Indian Navy has rolled out one of the largest rescue operations in Chennai since the tsunami in 2004. Three warships, the INS Airavat, INS Shakti and INS Sahyadri, have been docked at the Chennai Port. The three ships have sailed from Vishakhpatnam and carry 100 tonnes of relief material each. The INS Airavat team carried on rescue operations in six flooded areas in the city, including Velachery which is one of the worst affected.
The ships are also equipped with life rafts and small boats. The rafts and Gemini boats which can carry six to ten people at a time are mostly being used in the places where the rescue is required. Many people locked their homes and came on board the rafts. As the rains were receding the water levels were coming down, however the levels may go up during Saturday`s rescue as it`s been raining since post afternoon. Our teams will be once again deployed in the affected areas towards the morning hours. Naval ships are often used in rescue ops and during Tsunami the Navy not only helped people from India, but also reached till Indonesia to provide rescue and relief. The ships have now arrived and the men are ready to move for rescue and relief’, said Indian Navy officials.
Many parts of the city were under up to 2.5 metres or 8 feet of water for the fourth consecutive day. Due to more rains on Friday. rescue helicopters of the IAF were grounded for a while. The official death toll till date is 280.
