All 809 passengers rescued: Southern Railway
On December 17, the passengers on board Chendur Express ‘remained stranded’ at Srivaikuntam railway station and a school nearby.
IAF personnel winch up a woman during disaster relief work.
MADURAI: All the 809 train passengers stranded at the heavily flooded Srivaikuntam near Thoothukudi were rescued on Tuesday, said the Southern Railway. Of them, 509 were evacuated from the Srivaikuntam railway station by Tuesday evening.
They were taken by buses to Vanchi Maniyacchi railway station, from where a special train is set to take them to Chennai.
Of the 300 other train passengers who were accommodated at a school in Srivaikuntam, 270 moved out on their own, as most of them belonged to nearby places. “The remaining 30 passengers are also being evacuated with the help of RPF and they will be moved by road to Maniyachhi station,” the national carrier said.
IAF personnel winch up a child.
Asked about the claim made earlier in the day that defence personnel commenced work to rescue train passengers at Srivaikuntam by engaging a helicopter, the railway official who had confirmed it told news agency PTI that it was a ‘mistake of fact’.
While it was true that they rescued people, it happened in a nearby location, he added.
Three Air Force choppers air-dropped food packets and water to the stranded passengers.
The stranded passengers waded through water which was below knee level for a distance of about three km. Later, they were taken by buses to Maniyacchi station after the Railway medical team rendered medical assistance.
People wade through a flooded road after heavy rainfall, in Tirunelveli.
Those who needed help, like elderly passengers, were carried on stretchers with the help of the RPF and NDRF. “Southern Railway in coordination with NDRF, State Fire service and Air Force safely evacuated all the stranded passengers from Srivaikuntam station and school.”
On December 17, the passengers on board Chendur Express ‘remained stranded’ at Srivaikuntam railway station and a school nearby. The train had to be ‘terminated at the station’ due to unsafe track conditions ahead. Due to the ‘extreme speed of water currents’ and breaches en route, no rescue team could reach the location on Monday.
“Even the chopper belonging to the Indian Air Force that took off from Sulur base at 4.40 pm on December 18 could not airdrop the food and relief material due to adverse weather conditions and poor lighting.” Later, food and water were arranged with the help of State police and local people at both the school and at Srivaikuntam station.