Fire crews, army, dog squad: How Gujarat mobilised massive rescue operation

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Friday said that within three minutes of the Air India plane crash in Meghaninagar, two fire service teams reached the site and managed to rescue over 30 people. In total, 50 people trapped in the wreckage were rescued.

The rescue teams rushed to the site with 139 types of fire-fighting equipment. A total of 612 fire service personnel worked around the clock to extricate passengers from the aircraft wreckage and assist injured individuals from nearby areas in receiving timely medical care.

"To aid in the recovery of bodies and human remains, the police also deployed a special dog squad," the government said in a statement. It said that "a green corridor had been created to provide immediate medical attention to the injured, and over 100 ambulances were mobilised for the operation".

A dedicated team comprising 16 Deputy Collectors and 16 Mamlatdars was deployed at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC). 

At the crash site, over 250 army personnel, one team from the Rapid Action Force, and three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state disaster response forces were deployed in the operation. 

To assist with the operations at the crash site in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the state government deployed around 150 personnel from the Municipal Corporation and Roads and Buildings Department, along with 41 dumpers/tractors, 16 JCBs and three excavators, which were kept on standby.