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IAF chopper rescues 2 teens stuck on UP water tank after 3 others fall; one dies
Teenager killed, two injured, two others airlifted by an Indian Air Force helicopter.
A teenager was killed, two injured, and two others airlifted by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter after a group of teenagers climbed a dilapidated overhead water tank to shoot a social media reel in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district on Sunday, police said.
“The incident occurred when five teenagers, around 2.30 pm, climbed a nearly 50–60-foot-high overhead water tank in a Kanshi Ram residential colony to shoot a social media reel. While descending, around 6 pm, the rusted iron ladder of the dilapidated structure collapsed, causing three of them to fall. The villagers made an SOS call to the local police,” Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Gaurav Srivastava said.
What happened?
Siddharth, 13, died due to severe head injuries sustained in the fall. Two others, Pawan (13) and Golu, were critically injured and are undergoing treatment at Madhav Prasad Tripathi Medical College.
“Three fell, one of them lost his life after falling, and two are critical and are undergoing treatment, while two others were stranded at the top,” Srivastava said.
“The district administration held a meeting with the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF). The SDRF assessed the situation and said that the structure was weak and a rescue operation would be risky. At this, the district administration sought the help of the Air Force,” Srivastava added.
Two boys, Shani (11) and Kallu (14), were airlifted from the top of the structure in a nine-minute rescue operation around 5.30 am. They were brought to Gorakhpur and admitted to the Air Force Hospital for treatment.
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State government requested IAF
“On a request from state government authorities, an IAF Mi 17 V5 of Central Air Command (CAC) was deployed to rescue two stranded children, who were stuck on top of a water tank in Sidharth Nagar in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The children were stranded in the night as the ladder of the water tank was damaged. The rescue mission, yet again, displays the IAF’s professionalism and commitment to save lives with a swift response in times of need,” the IAF’s X post said.
District Magistrate of Sidharthnagar, Shivasharanappa GN, said in a post on X, “Chief Minister’s Office and Relief Commissioner Uttar Pradesh Dr. Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod were in telephonic conversation, and both youths stranded on the water tank near the Kaashiram Awas were successfully rescued by the Indian Air Force using an MI 17 helicopter this morning.”
“Prima facie, the incident occurred due to the collapse of a rusted ladder. The boys had climbed the tank to record a social media reel. Further investigation is underway,” Superintendent of Police Prashant Kumar said.
Residents alleged that the water tank had been in a neglected and hazardous condition for a long time, and no repair work had been carried out despite repeated complaints.
