IAF chopper brings down 2 teens stranded overnight on water tank

Lucknow: Two teenagers stranded atop an overhead water tank in Siddharthnagar district were rescued by an Indian Air Force helicopter on Sunday morning, nearly 15 hours after the stairs collapsed, leading to a fatal accident.

The sequence of events started on Saturday afternoon in Belasad Tappa Tharouli village of Navgarh tehsil, near Kanshiram Awas Colony, where five children climbed the unused and dilapidated water tank, reportedly to record a video.



Suddenly, the stairs of the structure collapsed, causing three of them to fall. Siddharth, 13, died on the spot, while two others, Golu, 14, and Sunny, 11, were injured and admitted to Madhav Prasad Tripathi Medical College.

Two other two teens, Pawan, 17, and Kallu, 17, were left stranded on top of the tank after the ladder broke. The structure, built for household water supply, reportedly was unused for several years due to its poor condition.

Following the incident, chief minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance and directed officials to ensure a safe and prompt rescue. District administration, police and disaster response teams reached the site and attempted to bring the stranded teenagers down.

However, the tank’s height, the broken stairs and waterlogging in the surrounding area—which made the ground swampy and unsuitable for heavy machinery—hampered rescue efforts. A hydraulic ladder vehicle was also brought in from Gorakhpur, but attempts continued through the night without success.

With ground efforts failing, district magistrate Shivsharanappa GN sought assistance from the Indian Air Force through the state relief commissioner’s office.

“After road access failed due to marshy ground and poor weather conditions, we activated an alternative plan and coordinated through the chief minister’s office to secure an IAF helicopter from Gorakhpur. The rescue operation was carried out successfully around 5.30 am, and both the boys were airlifted safely,” the DM said.

“Throughout the 16-hour operation, we used drones to supply the stranded children with water and snacks. I thank the CM for timely coordination that made the helicopter available. The children are healthy and went for a routine medical checkup before returning home,” he added.

He added that rescue operations for the stranded children required coordination between the fire department and the Indian Air Force due to difficult terrain and poor road access.

An IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter from Central Air Command, Prayagraj, was deployed following the request. The helicopter reached the site early Sunday morning and carried out an aerial rescue operation around 5.15 am, safely bringing both stranded teenagers down.

“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 Siddharth Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The children were stranded in the night as the ladder of the water tank was damaged,” the CAC posted on X.

Police have sent the body of the deceased child for post-mortem examination.