Bandipora, Feb 21: For the first time, a helicopter landed on snow to evacuate a critically ill patient from the LoC village of Gurez Valley in north Kashmir’s Bandipora District on Tuesday.
The district administration had initiated the winter chopper service to Gurez to ease problems of stranded passengers and facilitate emergency evacuations.
Incharge of the control room that monitors the chopper services to and from Gurez informed Rising Kashmir that they had received an SOS call regarding the patient, prompting the chopper to take flight and airlift the patient to receive medical treatment.
He said after extensive preparation, the helicopter was able to land on the thick layer of snow and ice outside the village and successfully evacuate the patient.
In order to provide the necessary medical care, the patient was transported to Bandipora, where a critical care ambulance was waiting at the helipad.
The local community praised the Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora for his efforts in addressing the issues that the remote village faces, particularly during the winter months when the road leading to the area is blocked due to snow accumulation.
The road connecting the Gurez Valley to the rest of the world is blocked for about five months due to the accumulation of snow, resulting in the area’s isolation from the rest of the world.
Nevertheless, the Border Roads Organisation has been working tirelessly to ensure that the road remains blocked for the shortest possible duration.
