The forest inferno which left behind a trail of destruction in the Seshachalam hills was brought under control to a large extent on Thursday, thanks to the rescue operations jointly taken up by the Army, Navy, disaster management experts besides the sustained efforts of the TTD and other district coordinating forces.
Two M 17 helicopters, each hooked with huge buckets with a capacity to carry over 3,000 litres of water, hovered in the sky and decanted water fetched from the Kumaradhara and Pasupudhara dams at identified locations.
A 2C130 aircraft which was specifically commissioned for the purpose guided them to the identified locations.
The operation was mainly carried out in the forest stretch between Papavinasanam and Tumburu Teertham situated amid the thick Tirumala forests.
About 100 personnel belonging to the 25th Rajasthan battalion of the Indian Army besides a strong force of over 40 personnel attached to the naval bases of Visakhapatnam and Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, in addition to the fire-fighting experts from the neighbouring districts of Nellore and Kadapa took part in the operation that lasted till late in the evening. Meanwhile, the authorities maintained that another round of aerial survey would be conducted on Friday.
