A 25-year-old pregnant woman was airlifted on Friday by the Indian Navy from a flooded village in Aluva in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, one of the worst-hit places in the state.
The navy was summoned after Sajita Jabeel went into labour and was airlifted with a waterfilled bag to minimise the impact of the rescue operation.
Television news channels telecast the visuals of Jabeel being pulled up with the help of a rope dropped down from a navy chopper, which was swinging violently in the air.
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Jabeel, whose amniotic sac had ruptured, was shifted to INHS Sanjivani, the naval hospital in Kochi.
“The young lady and her newborn son both are doing fine. God Bless them... Name of the Pilot in Command during this rescue operation - Cdr Vijay Verma 321Flight,” the spokesperson of the navy said in a series of tweets.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the situation in Kerala is serious but he was optimistic of overcoming even as most of the state remained under water amid continuous rain, landslides and floods.
{{/usCountry}}Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the situation in Kerala is serious but he was optimistic of overcoming even as most of the state remained under water amid continuous rain, landslides and floods.
{{/usCountry}}The death toll in Kerala climbed to 178, officials said on Friday, as the situation triggered by the state’s worst floods in a century remained grave leaving thousands homeless, destroying crops, and disrupting air, rail and road traffic for a week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach Kerala later in the day and start an aerial survey of the state on Saturday morning.