7 die in forest fires in northern India

At least seven people have died so far in forest fires that has been raging in the hilly regions of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand for the past two months, a senior police official said Sunday.

"Some seven people have been killed and some five others injured in forest fires in the state. The Indian Air Force has now pressed choppers into service to spray water and douse the inferno," he said, on condition of anonymity.

Along with 6,000 personnel from the national disaster management force, two MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are trying their best to tackle the fires that have destroyed nearly 3,000 acres of forest cover in the hilly state, the official said.

"The choppers have been pressed into service after the Indian Prime Minister's Office showed concerns and offered all possible help to the state in tackling the natural disaster. Senior central government officials are also monitoring the situation," he added.

In fact, the forest fires have been raging since early February and so far 922 incidents of forest fires have been reported from across the state.

Being a natural phenomena, forest fires are common in summer in India, but this time they have occurred on a bigger scale. Instead of mid-February, the fire season began in the beginning of the month and is still raging, with no signs of dousing.

Source: XINHUA