Indian Army, IAF pushes limits to execute daring rescue and evacuation of crew at 15,500 ft

NewsBharati    09-May-2020 09:48:11 AM
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Sikkim, May 9: The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters went through a daring rescue and evacuation of four IAF crew and Air Dispatch personnel. They rescued the team who were stranded on the icy heights of North Sikkim at an altitude of 15,500 feet above sea level in the midst of the blizzards.
 
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Earlier, on May 7, it was reported that a Mi-17 chopper on its way from Chaten to Mukutang in Sikkim made a forced landing at 10 nautical miles short of designated helipad due to bad weather. The helicopter had sustained some damage and landed in a remote and inaccessible area.
 
 
However, a combination of Army and Air Force helicopters were launched at the stroke of dawn on May 8, who executed a daring landing on an unprepared ground at an altitude of 15500 feet, and rescued the stranded personnel.
 
“Evacuation of the four IAF crew and Air Dispatch personnel from a super high altitude emergency landing site, braving snow blizzards and undulating ground, which required synergy between the helicopters and ground based rescue parties, stands testimony to the spirit of the Armed Forces of India. The rescue operation demanded pushing to limits, both man and machine, for the successful extrication of the stranded crew,” P Khongsai Public Relations Officer (Defence) Guwahati stated.
 
The stranded military personnel withstood the inclement weather conditions for several hours before being evacuated.