Chennai rains: INS Airawat rushed to help relief efforts

The Navy today rushed INS Airawat with five additional boats besides six integral boats to bolster the rescue and relief efforts in rain-battered Chennai. The ship is also carrying 20 divers, medical supplies and other relief material, defence sources said.

It is likely to reach Chennai by early tomorrow morning, they said.

With the Chennai airport closed till December 6 following heavy rains and flood, the nearby naval air station at Arakonnam is likely to be turned into a makeshift airport for commercial flights from tomorrow. In the run up to the possible new arrangement, national carrier Air India landed an Airbus A320 carrying passengers from Hyderabad at the Rajali naval air station at Arakkonam at 2047 hours today. "We are hopeful of passenger flights landing there from tomorrow," Defence Ministry sources said.

Airports Authority of India has decided to keep the Chennai airport closed till December 6 due to the flooding of the operational and the surrounding area. No flight has taken off from or landed at the Chennai airport since 8pm yesterday.