MUMBAI: An Indian Navy Sea King helicopter carried out an urgent medical evacuation on Saturday, rescuing an injured seafarer from SCI crude oil tanker MT Desh Shakti off the coast of Mumbai, the Navy said.Despite a ‘red alert’ due to incessant rain, poor visibility and rough seas, the helicopter skilfully evacuated the injured seafarer using a rescue basket, the Navy said in a statement.“Indian Navy Sea King helicopter from INS Shikra undertook urgent medical evacuation of an injured seafarer from SCI crude oil tanker MT Desh Shakti off Mumbai on July 4. After stabilising the patient onboard helicopter, he was transported ashore for urgent medical care,” it said.The mission reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to safeguarding lives at sea and its role as the first responder in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the statement added.Mumbai battles flooding, traffic chaos amid incessant rainsIncessant and heavy rains threw normal life out of gear in Mumbai and its metropolitan region on Saturday, triggering incidents of road cave-ins, tree falls and house collapses, while also disrupting road and rail traffic.The continuous downpour, coupled with the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s extremely heavy rainfall alert, prompted the civic body to declare a holiday for schools and colleges in the afternoon.The showers led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the metropolis, including Andheri, Kurla, Sakinaka, Chembur, Santacruz, Goregaon and Powai. Public transport services were also severely affected, causing difficulties for commuters using both public and private vehicles.(With agency inputs)
