Two Boys Stranded Atop Water Tank in Uttar Pradesh Rescued by IAF Chopper; One Dead

A 10-year-old boy died after the staircase of a defunct water tank collapsed, causing three of the five children on it to fall, in Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Two children stranded atop the tank were rescued early Sunday by an army helicopter. Five children had climbed the defunct water tank on Saturday. While descending, the staircase suddenly collapsed, causing three of them — Golu (12), Sunny (14), and Siddharth (10) — to fall. They were rushed to a medical college, where Siddharth was declared dead on arrival, while the other two were referred to Gorakhpur in critical condition.Two other children, Pavan (14) and Shaban (12), who were stranded atop the tank. Efforts were made overnight to construct an alternate route to reach

the stranded children, but rain disrupted the operation, prompting authorities to seek aerial assistance, according to Siddharthnagar District Magistrate Shivasharanappa GN. The District Magistrate said that following consultations with the Chief Minister's Office and Relief Commissioner Dr Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, an army helicopter was requisitioned from Gorakhpur.The stranded children were rescued at around 5.20 am, in an operation lasting about 15 minutes and were later taken to Gorakhpur for treatment.According to the local corporator Satish Rastogi, the defunct water tank, located near the Kashiram Housing locality, was built around 30 years ago and had been declared unsafe, reported PTI, adding that despite restrictions, children often climbed it to make social media reels. According to the armed forces, an IAF Mi 17 V5 of Central Air Command (CAC), Allahabad, was deployed to rescue two stranded children. The deployment was carried out on a request from state government authorities, it said. "As part of our planning, we were in constant contact with Air Force officials. I thank the Chief Minister's office. Their coordination made this possible. At around 5:30 in the morning, an Air Force helicopter rescued two children, and they are safe. The helicopter landed directly at Gorakhpur," the DM said. In a post on X, CAC, IAF wrote, "On a request from state government authorities, an IAF Mi-17 V5 of Central Air Command (CAC) was deployed to rescue two stranded children, who were stuck on top of a water tank in Sidharth Nagar in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The children were stranded in the night as the ladder of the water tank was damaged. The rescue mission, yet again, displays the IAF's professionalism and commitment to save lives with a swift response in times of need."