On Mohammed Subhan’s first birthday, there were special guests including the doctor who attended to his mother Sajitha Jabil and the naval officer who airlifted her to safety when the floods of 2018 ravaged their place at Chengamanad.
The Navy was flying rescue sorties since August 17, 2018 when the chopper flown by Cdr. Vijay Varma hovered over the masjid at Chovvara where Sajitha, in her advanced stage of pregnancy, was stranded. Since the place was completely under water, the team had a tough time marking the location. Spotting the minaret of the masjid, the chopper-borne crew gestured to the people below if there was a pregnant woman among them.
The chopper could not land in the area, so a rescuer and the doctor were lowered using the winch following which Sajitha was winched up in and flown to the naval hospital at the Naval Base. At Sanjivani, the naval hospital, a team led by Dr. Thamanna attended to her, and she was delivered of Subhan around noon.
Cdr. Varma said airlifting her was challenging as there were electric lines and taller buildings in that area.