48 NDRF personnel airlifted from Guwahati to Nagaland to fight Dzoukou Valley fire

DIMAPUR: Even as the raging wildfire in the Dzoukou Valley continued to rage on and spread further into Manipur, a C-130J Hercules aircraft of the IAF airlifted a 9 ton-load for fighting the wildfire in the picturesque Dzoukou Valley including 48 NDRF personnel from Guwahati to Dimapur yesterday night. The Dzoukou Valley fire that began in Nagaland on Tuesday spread to the hills of Manipur on Thursday.

Earlier, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has requested the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to provide assistance in containing the situation and had also requisitioned the Army and the Assam Rifles to assist firefighters in extinguishing the wildfire.

Yesterday, an IAF Mi 17 V5 helicopter was deployed for the fire fighting mission at Dzukou Valley near Kohima.

READ MORE: Dzoukou Valley fire spreading further into Manipur: Report

"After assessment of the extent of the fire, the IAF is deploying three more helicopters equipped with Bambi Bucket to fight the Dzoukou Valley fire," an official informed.

Biren conducted an aerial survey of the burning valley on December 31. “As the wildfire was spreading very alarmingly and needed immediate attention before it spread towards Mt Iso, the Chief Minister personally undertook the aerial survey,” the CM’s secretariat said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured all help from the Centre to contain the spread of the wildfire in the picturesque valley.

Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi visited Dzukou valley on Wednesday, a Raj Bhavan release issued on Thursday said.

During his visit, Ravi had a first-hand assessment of the intensity of the devastating fire in the trekking route to the valley and the extent of the destruction, it said.

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