Thaindian News

Jammu, Jan 23 (IANS) A quick response to a distress situation by the Indian Army saved the lives of 11 government employees in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir Monday morning.

The 11 workers of the Public Health Engineering Department were trapped in heavy snow in Alaknanda area, at a height of 6,000 ft, where they had gone to repair the water supply, which was snapped by a snow avalanche.

Trapped in heavy snow in the avalanche-prone area, one of them was able to convey a message of their plight on mobile phone to their seniors in Doda, district headquarter town.

The Army received a call from Deputy Commissioner Doda at around 8.20 p.m. Sunday night about the plight of the PHE workers. The commanding officer of the 8 Rashtriya Rifles Col. Abdul Hamid Khan mobilized his troops, deployed for counter-insurgency operations, and got all the 11 trapped persons rescued.

“The troops also carried rescue equipment, warm clothes and packaged food for the trapped persons. After walking for more than seven hours in chest deep snow, with the help of ropes, the team finally reached the site at 4.00 a.m. They found five of the trapped workers in extremely critical condition due to the cold,” a spokesman of the army told media in a release.

“The team immediately took control of the situation, took out the workers, lit a fire and gave them first aid. They also provided them warm clothes. Tea was prepared and food was warmed for them. After an effort of two hours, the workers could be resuscitated and were brought out of danger. At daybreak the army men supported these workers through the snow and brought them to village Al where they were received by a large crowd of villagers. Near and dear ones of the workers were happy to see them return,” the spokesman said.