A joint rescue operation by the personnel from Dogra regiment of Indian Army and Karnataka Civil Defence volunteers in Somwarpet taluk

After incessant rain flooded Karnataka's Kodagu district, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy wrote to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking to deploy an IAF chopper for an aerial survey of the inundated district on Saturday.

Earlier, Sitharaman had agreed to deploy additional defence personnel for rescue and relief operations in rain-affected Kodagu district

CM Kumaraswamy called her over the phone and thanked her for the quick response to the situation Kodagu is facing and informed her that the Army and Air Force personnel have rescued over a thousand people so far.

An India Today team went to the flood-hit Kodagu district and captured a joint rescue operation by the personnel from Dogra regiment of Indian Army and Karnataka Civil Defence volunteers in Somwarpet taluk.

Karnataka: India Today captures a joint rescue operation by the personnel from Dogra regiment of Indian Army and Karnataka Civil Defence volunteers in Somwarpet taluk in Kodagu district.#ReporterDiary #Exclusive @nolanentreeo @madhuramchandra

More videos https://t.co/FAHzdk9TO8 pic.twitter.com/3QgvJicPlk India Today (@IndiaToday) August 17, 2018

All major roads leading to Kodagu are blocked and a massive rescue operation has been launched, officials said.

Multiple agencies, including Army's one column of Dogra Regiment with 60 personnel, are involved in the operation.

The Army's Engineering task force, comprising 73 personnel with boats and other rescue equipment, is on its way to the area, officials said.

The Indian Navy's 12 expert divers-cum-surface rescuers with rafts, a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team (30 + 1 officer) with equipment, a 30-member team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) with boats and equipment, 45-member civil defence quick response team, and Fire Force-200 plus force have been deployed, they said.

Inclement weather led to an Indian Air Force mission being aborted, officials said, adding that it would be attempted on Saturday morning from Mysuru using an M17 helicopter.

Officials said 873 people have been rescued and brought to safety and 17 relief camps set up providing shelter to 573 people.

(With inputs from PTI)

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