New Delhi, December 27
Even as about 100 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel and their family members are feared to have been washed away in the tsunami waves that hit the Car Nicobar islands yesterday morning, the armed forces continued with the massive relief operations pressing into service 25 warships as well as the entire air assets in southern India.
The armed forces have also fanned out their medical and relief teams in the entire tsunami devastated eastern coast and the outlying island territories of the Bay of Bengal.
While six naval ships pressed into service for assistance at the worst hit Car Nicobar Island reached the destination this morning, the IAF has confirmed the loss of 23 of its men and their family members. The toll is expected to rise to at least a 100 with 53 IAF personnel and the their family members being evacuated to safety by the afternoon.
Among the first tasks taken up was re-establishing contact with the Car Nicobar and four more islands in the Little Andaman area, which authorities fear may have been the worst hit area.
With the Carnic air base, located on the highest ground on the island, suffering almost 100 per cent casualties, the authorities fear the worse for the estimated 30,000 people living on the island. The reports, however, suggested that there was no damage to equipment or aircraft stationed there.
The island is also the base for a squadron of MI-8 transport helicopters.
The contacts have been re-established by air since this morning with Campbell Bay, the southern most tip of India, just 40 nautical miles from Sumatra in Indonesia, which was the epicentre of yesterday’s earthquake.
The first Naval ship, INS Ghariyal, which reached port this morning, reported utter devastation on the island with hardly a house or road network left intact.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswami, has also flown to the air base with the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to assess the damage.
Officials said three civilian ships were blown to smithereens, as sea waves, leaping up to 3 metres, damaged the civilian jetty and dry dock at Port Blair.
They said coast guard and Naval warships were “put to sea” to avoid damage to them as water waves also damaged the coast guard and Naval jetty on the island.
The Indian Air Force flew nine missions to Port Blair with more Naval ships from the country’s east coast also carrying emergency food and medicine supplies for the island territory, they said.
The officials said there had been comparatively fewer loss of life in Camrota, Little Andaman, Great Nicobar and Indira Point islands.
The IAF today pressed into action three giant IL-76, nine AN-32, two Avros and eight Mi-8 helicopters to carry out relief and rescue operations in the entire eastern, southern coasts and the island territories.
