52 stranded in Haryana as river overflows

Fifty-two people, including 15 children, were stranded today on a tract of land in Haryana's Yamunagar district due to floods triggered by heavy rains, a top state government official said.

Services of the Indian Air Force had been requisitioned to rescue the trapped villagers, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management) Krishna Mohan said.

The state government had taken all possible steps to rescue all the 52 residents of village Lapra stranded since morning, he said.

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

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

National Disaster Management Authority personnel were on their to village Lapra from Ghaziabad to carry out rescue operation, he said.

Helicopters at Air Force Stations in Bathinda in Punjab and Sarsawa in adjoining Sharanpur in Uttar Pradesh were ready to take off, Mohan said.

Army at Ambala was also on stand by, he said.

It has been raining heavily in Himachal Pradesh's catchment areas near Yamunanagar.