Seoni (Madhya Pradesh): A 40-year-old man stuck on a tree in the flooded Benganga river in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh was rescued by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on Wednesday, officials said.
Four other persons are also trapped on an islet nearby, but they are safe. Efforts are on to rescue them but difficulties were being faced in the task, they said.
These five persons got stuck in the river near Kharpadiya village after the water level rose suddenly, they said.
IAF Helicopter Called From Nagpur
"After being alerted about this incident, an IAF helicopter was called from Nagpur (in Maharashtra) to rescue the stranded. Around 2.45 pm, the chopper rescued one person trapped on a tree in the middle of the river," Keolari Sub Divisional Magistrate Sandeep Shrivastava said.
The remaining four persons who are trapped on an islet are safe, he said.
The rescue work by the helicopter had to be stopped due to shortage of fuel, the official said.
Man Identified As Shambhu Kahar
Ugli police station in-charge C L Singmare said the man rescued by the IAF helicopter was identified as Shambhu Kahar.
"The State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) is continuously making efforts to rescue the four other persons, but facing problems due to strong current of river water," he said.
Keolari's Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) B F Gothia said that four persons, including a woman, had gone to graze their animals near Satdhara on Wednesday morning but due to heavy rains in the upper streams, the water of the river rose and these persons got trapped.
