Cyclone Fengal: Efforts continue to rescue people stranded in flooded areas in Puducherry

The effects of Cyclone Fengal have been devastating after the storm made landfall, causing extremely heavy rainfall in coastal regions of north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The union territory witnessed severe flooding, especially in areas surrounding the Sankaraparani River, with over 200 residences in NR Nagar inundated. The people living in the area remain stranded as the Indian Army along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are working together in rescue operations.

The rescue teams are making efforts to save the lives of those stranded in their houses due to flooding. The army has deployed boats to navigate the flooded streets of Puducherry and evacuate residents.

Local authorities, including the District Collector and the Public Works Department Minister, are also on the ground, assessing the situation and expediting relief efforts.

The Indian Army conducted multiple rescue operations on Sunday across several areas in the city. The rescue operations were conducted in flood-hit areas in the Union Territory, including Krishna Nagar, Kuber Nagar, and Jiva Nagar.

The operations successfully evacuated hundreds of residents from these inundated areas, saving over 200 lives in Krishna Nagar and Kuber Nagar alone.

On Sunday afternoon, the rescue efforts were ongoing in Jiva Nagar, with 30 soldiers deployed to help stranded people. Additionally, the evacuation operations in other vulnerable areas are also underway.

Indian Army troops from the Chennai Garrison Battalion, operating under the Dakshin Bharat Area, were mobilized in the early hours of Sunday to assist in rescue operations in flood-affected areas of Puducherry.

Requisitioned by the Puducherry District Collector around 1 am, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) column consisting of one officer, six Junior commissioned officers and 62 other ranks was deployed swiftly. The team left Chennai at 2 am and covered a distance of 160 kilometres overnight, reaching Puducherry around 5:30 am.

The team led by Major Ajay Sangwan was briefed about the critical situation in the Krishna Nagar area upon reaching Puducherry. The water level in some localities of Krishna Nagar rose to nearly five feet, leaving residents of nearly 500 houses stranded.

The efforts made by the Indian Army during its rescue operations started at 6:15 am, with over 100 individuals being evacuated in the first two hours.

Earlier, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Sunday said that the city had received 50 centimetres of rainfall overnight which has led to flooding. Rescue teams are working to evacuate stranded people, he added.