Indian army rescues Pakistani golf team from flood-hit Srinagar: reports

Published September 10, 2014
Indian soldiers carry a rescued flood victim at the Air Force Station in Srinagar, September 9, 2014. — Photo by AP
Indian soldiers carry a rescued flood victim at the Air Force Station in Srinagar, September 9, 2014. — Photo by AP

The Indian army has rescued a 28-member Pakistani golf team from the flood-hit areas in Srinagar in India-held Kashmir, reports in the Indian media said.

The team, not affiliated with the Pakistan Golf Federation, was in Srinagar to take part in the matches organised under the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), NDTV quoted Indian army officials as saying.

The sudden burst of water left the team members, marooned in a hotel, completely startled.

“By the time we reached the second floor, the first floor was completely filled with water. Water kept rushing through the windows all night. It was frightening,” Indian Express quoted Faiza Malik, who was part of the private team visiting from Lahore, as saying.

The Indian Army said it had made all arrangement to airlift the team to Pakistan.

“The Army has recorded the addresses and passport numbers of all the Pakistani nationals. We have evacuated them to Nehru Park helipad from where they will be taken to the airport for movement to Delhi or their destination in Pakistan,” said Col Bridges Pandey.

The Indian army has deployed more than 20,000 troops to conduct rescue operations and 61 aircraft have also been delegated for the purpose, reports say, adding that about 47,200 people, including 24,000 in Srinagar, have been rescued in Indian-held Kashmir.

Also read: Hundreds of thousands marooned by floods in India-held Kashmir

Among those rescued from the flood-affected areas of Srinagar also include Nepal's Ambassador to India and 16 members of a Nepalese delegation.

While over 47,000 have been rescued, emergency workers are still battling to reach hundreds of thousands of others marooned by floods in India-held Kashmir. The Indian army has said that an estimated 400,000 people remain stranded due to the flooding.

More on this: Indian army battling to rescue stranded people in held Kashmir

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