KOCHI: A heavily pregnant woman stranded by floods in the Indian state of Kerala gave birth just after being airlifted to safety, an Indian Navy spokesman said, as the military stepped up rescue operations on Saturday.

Dozens of navy helicopters have embarked on high-risk missions to save people from rooftops and isolated land as the southern state battles a flood crisis that has left at least 324 people dead.

Sajita Jabeel, 25, was winched up by Commander Vijay Verma, who has been widely praised for leading the rescue in the Aluva district of the state’s main city Kochi.

“The lady was in labour, her water had broken,” Verma told News18 television.

He called the relief mission “very challenging” and said his team had rushed to find the family after receiving an emergency call.

“We took a doctor along, we winched her up, it took some time though because we had to winch down two people to help her.” Jabeel gave birth to a healthy baby boy after being rushed to hospital.

Kerala, popular among international tourists for its tropical hills and beaches, has been battered by record monsoon rainfall this year.

About 60 military and coast guard helicopters and hundreds of boats are scouring the flood zones across the state for trapped victims.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018