Akhnoor, Sept. 3 -- Incessant rains have swollen Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor district, flooding Garkhal village and prompting the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to launch rescue operations to evacuate stranded villagers.

Civilians rescued from Garkhal village were airlifted and dropped at Molu Helipad in Pargwal village.

Akhnoor Sub-Divisional Megistrate (SDM) Mukhtar Ahmad told ANI, "We established contacts with locals around 4-5 AM. They informed us that nearly 45 people remain stranded due to excess water. We immediately launched the operation. Initially, we tried rescuing with the help of NDRF and SDRF, but due to the immense current (of the river water), we asked for helicopters. All persons ha...