Jammu: Responding swiftly to a distress call, Army troops wadded through four to six feet of snow for over 14 kms to evacuate a pregnant woman to hospital in Ramban district, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday.
Kulsuma Akhtar (25) was rescued from the snow-bound Mangat area amidst inclement weather on Saturday, the spokesperson said.
A local Army unit received a distress call from the Sarpanch and other villagers of Hargam in Khari tehsil, requesting for urgent medical evacuation of the pregnant woman who was in critical condition, he said
“Due to heavy snowfall, roads were completely blocked and very slippery. Realising the criticality of the situation, rescue and medical teams of the Indian Army immediately responded to the distress call, risking their own safety,” the spokesperson said.
He said the soldiers had to make their own way in 4-6 feet high snow and carried the pregnant woman on a stretcher for 14 Kilometres till Agnari village where an Army ambulance was on standby to receive the patient.
The woman was carefully and safely evacuated to a sub-district hospital in Banihal, the spokesman said, adding the six-hour-long evacuation on stretchers amidst inclement weather through snow-covered stretches reaffirmed the faith of the public in their soldiers.
Army doctors accompanied the patient till the hospital, where the family and doctors expressed their gratitude to the Army for their swift action and timely assistance as it saved the life of the patient, the spokesperson said.
