IAF helicopter airlifts paralysed 85-year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh after heavy snowfall blocks all roads

CHANDIGARH: An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carried out an urgent medical evacuation of an 85-year-old woman suffering from paralysis from a remote village in Himachal Pradesh at an altitude of 9,000 feet, after heavy snowfall blocked all roads.The life-saving mission was conducted amid snowfall and low visibility, the IAF said in a post on X, adding that the woman is now stable after receiving timely medical care.The IAF also shared a video showing the woman being carried on a stretcher through the snow before being boarded onto the helicopter. "An IAF Cheetah helicopter undertook an urgent medical evacuation of an 85-year-old paralysed woman from Dhanderwari, Himachal Pradesh (9,000 ft Above Mean Sea Level) to Chandigarh. This was after snowfall blocked all roads," the IAF said in a post on X Sunday evening.Himachal Pradesh on Sunday experienced light snowfall accompanied by rain.Shillaroo in Shimla district and Kothi in Kullu district recorded 5 cm of snow, while Kufri received 4 cm.In the Lahaul and Spiti region, Gondhla village saw 3 cm, Khadrala in Shimla 2.5 cm, Sangla in Kinnaur 2.1 cm, and Kalpa recorded 0.8 cm of snowfall.(With agency inputs)