The weather in Kurgiak valley was deteriorating with cloud base lowering further. The terrain was completely snow-covered and the fading light due to clouds increased the chances of disorientation.
This real-life air evacuation operation had all the ingredients of a reel-life potboiler. Indian Air Force pulled off a miraculous rescue operation, cruising through an inaccessible high-altitude valley, battling turbulent winds and fading light to evacuate a pregnant lady to safety from the cold desert of Ladakh.
On Friday, the ‘Siachen Pioneers’ based at Air Force Station Leh were tasked to undertake a challenging casualty evacuation of three-month pregnant Stanzin Laton from a remote villag, Kurgiak, located in an inaccessible valley short of Shinkun La beyond Padam.
“It was already 2pm in the afternoon and the weather was overcast with all passes covered. Within a very short period, crew assessed weather, discussed contingencies and planned the route with maximum fuel to avoid refueling,” said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, defence spokesman at Srinagar.
The formation got airborne within 30 minutes, with Wing Commander SI Khan and Flight Lieutenant Pravin in the lead aircraft (helicopter) and Wing Commander SK Pradhan and Squadron Leader A Bedekar in second chopper.
“The weather en route was ‘marginal’ and the narrow and turbulent valley, devoid of any force landing fields, made the task even more challenging,” said Colonel Kalia.
The weather in Kurgiak valley was deteriorating with cloud base lowering further. The terrain was completely snow-covered and the fading light due to clouds increased the chances of disorientation.
“However, the crew located the village successfully. Since, the terrain was snow-covered and no clear field was available, the crew chose a site close to the village which was sloping but manageable, and picked up the casualty,” said Colonel Kalia.
“The crew brought all their professionalism to the fore to save the life of the 35-year-old woman and the child in her womb,” added Colonel Kalia.
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