Watch: Precision Navy Op To Save Pregnant Kerala Woman, Partly Paralysed

A pregnant woman in Kerala, paralysed waist down, was rescued from her flooded home in Aluva, in an operation that stands out because of the sheer challenge of keeping the helicopter rock-steady.

The Navy pulled off the incredible rescue, and the woman was flown to safety. The pilot who executed the difficult manoeuvre is Captain P Rajkumar, who has been honoured with the Shaurya Chakra.

In a video posted by the Navy, soldiers harness the woman securely to their colleague and she is winched up in a very challenging hover.

There was only a small opening between the high roofs to the woman's small terrace. According to the Navy, it was vital to keep the chopper steady so the woman would not suffer any physical harm.
Stories like this have emerged from rescue operations in various parts of Kerala, which has been devastated by its worst floods in a century.

On Friday, a woman delivered a baby boy just half-an-hour after she was pulled to safety by the Navy from the rooftop of her house, again near Aluva, around 190 km from state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

Sajitha Jabil's water broke while she was being winched up.

This morning, naval rescue chopper pilot Commodore Vijay Varma and his men got a unique thank you. A huge 'Thanks' was painted on the roof of Sajitha's house.

Nearly 400 people have been killed in the state and over 7 lakh have been displaced after days of torrential rain left parts of the state inundated.

(Kerala has to rebuild itself after the worst floods in over a century. Hundreds have died and lakhs are homeless. Here is how you can help.)