Nearly 100 people stranded in rain-hit Chennai brought to Hyderabad

The defence forces actively involved in relief and rescue efforts in rain-battered Tamil Nadu brought 99 passengers stranded at the Chennai airport to Hyderabad today. "Ninety-nine stranded passengers including women and children at Chennai Airport and other places were brought by a transport carrier of Indian Air Force C-17 which landed this evening at the Air Force Station, Begumpet," a defence release said here. The authorities arranged food, water and necessary medical assistance to the stranded passengers and sent them to Hyderabad airport and railway stations by arranging special buses, it said. Expressing gratitude for the timely help offered by Army, Air Force and Navy, several passengers said that without their assistance it would not have been possible for them to come out safely from the flood-ravaged areas of Chennai. The Indian Air Force continued to engage in relief and rescue operation, named 'Operation Madad', in Chennai, which is hit by torrential rains and adjourning areas. Three columns of Indian Army with necessary relief material and medical aid were today sent from Secunderabad here by two special transport aircraft C-17 of IAF which left Air Force Station, Begumpet, it added.