Jagdalpur: The Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued 12 civilians, including women and children, who were stranded on the rooftop of a hut threatened by surging floodwaters near Dongaghat village in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, the Ministry of Defence said.
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After receiving information that around 10–12 people were trapped in kutcha huts on the north bank of the Indravati River, a crew from the IAF’s Central Air Command took off to locate them. The crew found the civilians gathered on the roof of a hut at risk of collapsing under the force of the floodwaters.
With limited time to complete the rescue, a Garud commando was lowered onto the fragile rooftop to help the stranded people. The civilians were then winched aboard a hovering helicopter and brought to safety, according to the ministry’s press release.
The rescue came amid severe flooding across the Bastar region following heavy rainfall and rising river levels. The Indravati’s flooding has affected villages and disrupted road connectivity, prompting coordinated relief operations by the district administration, SDRF and other teams.
The Indian Express reported that 16 civilians were airlifted by the IAF in the wider rescue effort, while 1,203 people were brought to safety by boats. The district administration had also established relief camps for people displaced by the floods.
The operation highlights the role of the IAF’s air mobility and specialised rescue personnel in reaching civilians cut off by floodwaters, particularly where fast-moving currents and damaged access routes complicate ground-based evacuation.
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