A pregnant woman in serious condition in Jammu and Kashmir’s snow-bound Kupwara was evacuated by air by the Indian Army on the request of the civil administration and brought to Srinagar, news agency PTI reported quoting official statement by Indian Army on Sunday.
According to the report, Kulsuma Akhtar, 25, was rescued on Saturday amid inclement weather from the snow-covered Mangat area. The sarpanch and several villagers of Hargam in Khari tehsil made a distress call to a nearby Army unit, asking for an immediate medical evacuation of the pregnant woman who was in severe condition, the report said.
“Due to heavy snowfall, roads were completely blocked and very slippery. Realising the criticality of the situation, rescue and medical teams of the Indian Army immediately responded to the distress call, risking their own safety,” PTI quoted the army spokesperson as saying.
Later on Sunday, news agency ANI posted a video of the same incident, the caption of the post read: “Indian Army assists in air evacuation of a pregnant woman in critical condition in Srinagar. This was done as the only axis leading to better medical facilities at Srinagar via NH 701 was cut off due to incessant snowfall since the last 7 days: PRO Defence, Srinagar.”
Watch the video here:
#WATCH | J&K: Indian Army assists in air evacuation of a pregnant woman in critical condition in Srinagar. This was done as the only axis leading to better medical facilities at Srinagar via NH 701 was cut off due to incessant snowfall since the last 7 days: PRO Defence, Srinagar pic.twitter.com/nwuhIcKjzv
— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2023
As per the PTI report, the spokesperson claimed that in order to get to Agnari village, where an Army ambulance was waiting, the soldiers had to go 14 kilometres through four to six feet of snow on foot.
The spokesperson stated that the woman was successfully transported to the sub-district hospital in Banihal and that the six-hour evacuation through bad weather through portions that were covered in snow had restored the public’s faith in their army, as per the report.
Army doctors escorted the patient to the hospital, where the family thanked the military troops for their prompt response and timely assistance in saving the patient’s life, the report said.
A pregnant woman in critical condition and her husband were rescued in a similar emergency Wednesday by the Indian Army. Residents of the Kalaroos Block’s Jhakadnaka Sarkuli Village, Mariyam Begum, and her husband Bashir Ahmed Mugal, were holed up because of the treacherous road conditions and heavy snowfall.
(With Inputs From Agencies)