Indian Navy launches daring midnight helicopter mission to save marooned AP villager

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The Indian Navy on Monday launched a daring mission at 11 pm in bad weather on Monday night with a Seaking 42C helicopter equipped with night vision devices and rescued a villager marooned in the middle of the Suvarnamukhi river following the flash flood in the wake of the cyclone in Andhra Pradesh.</p>
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“Despite heavy rain and strong winds the Seaking helicopter undertook the search and located the survivor. The helicopter had hover over the river at a very low altitude to pick up the survivor,” according information provided by the defence ministry</p>
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The aircraft from Eastern Naval Command returned to INS Dega with the survivor who was administered first aid and later shifted to the navy hospital for further medical treatment. His family members were informed of his wellbeing by the Naval Air Station.</p>
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The Seaking mission was launched after an earlier mission carried out in the evening by an advanced light helicopter (ALH) could not locate the villager due to inclement weather, heavy rain and pitch dark conditions.</p>
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The ALH was sent after an SOS request received from State administration officials on Monday evening at about 5:30 pm to provide a naval helicopter for Search and Rescue of a stranded villager who was marooned in the middle of River Suvarnamukhi because of the flash floods.</p>
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The survivor D Simhachalam, aged around 40 years, is a resident of Venkatabhairavapalem village in Vijayanagaram district. The spot where he was marooned is around 120 km from INS Dega.</p>