Thousands rescued in JK

MASSIVE RESCUE OP: Army has deployed 220 columns of its personnel for rescue and relief operations, in which 135 columns are deployed in Srinagar region and 85 columns in Jammu region," says a Defence Ministry release. In order to meet the shortage of food in flood-affected areas, cooked eatables are being sent from Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad on a large scale, it said. So far, 451 sorties have been undertaken by helicopters and aircraft of Air Force and 563 tonnes of relief materials have been dropped by it. The Army has also brought in 200 more assault boats from places such as Bhatinda, Jalandhar and other areas.