52 Haryana villagers, stranded after surge in Yamuna level, finally rescued after 24 hours

Yamunanagar: Fifty-two people, including 15 children, stranded on a tract of land in Haryana's Yamunanagar district due to floods triggered by heavy rains, were rescued today.

The villagers, stuck on a small piece of land for 24 hours, were rescued by the National Disaster Management Authority and the Army who used boats to ferry them to safety this morning.

Heavy overnight rains and rising water level in the Yamuna river had hampered rescue operation earlier.

The rains have led to an alarming increase in the water level of Yamuna, even as over 7 lakh cusecs water was flowing through the Hathni Kund barrage, prompting authorities to sound a high alert in the neighbouring districts of Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat.

Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management) Krishna Mohan said the state government had immediately taken steps to rescue the 52 residents of village Lapra, who were stranded since yesterday morning.

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The villagers, who used to cultivate musk melons and water melons on that piece of land, were trapped as the water level of river Yamuna rose sharply.

The river was flooded following torrential rains in catchment areas, the Additional Chief Secretary said.

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The state government had also sought the services of the Indian Air Force to rescue the trapped villagers, but bad weather hampered the operation last night.

Official sources said that several low-lying villages in the district were flooded after the Yamuna River received heavy rainfall in its catchment areas.

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Irrigation authorities had opened the gates at the Hathnikund barrage releasing additional water into the Yamuna River.