Man trapped on tree for over 12 hours rescued by IAF chopper

A 43-year-old man was rescued by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on Monday after he was left clinging to a tree for over 12 hours amid overflowing water discharged from a dam in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district, a police official said.

Jitendra Kashyap apparently jumped into weir (built to remove excess water) of Khutaghat dam on Sunday evening and got swept away in strong current, Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Prashant Agrawal told PTI.

He somehow mand to get hold of a small rock and a tree where he remained stuck for more than 12 hours before being rescued in morning, he said.

After getting information about man being stranded in weir of Khutaghat dam, rescue operation was immediately launched with support of State Disaster Response Force team.

Rescue teams of South Eastern Coalfields Limited and National rmal Power Corporation were also roped in, official said.

"Heavy flow of water and b wear hampered rescue operation. As man was stuck far from embankment, we could t reach him in night. We later requested for assistance from IAF," he said.

MI-17 helicopter took off from Raipur at 5.49 am and airlifted man at 6.37 am. It took around 20 minutes for rescue operation before landing back in state capital at 7.35 am, official said.

man has been mitted in a private hospital in Raipur where his condition is reported to be stable, he said.