+MANDATORY ON-SCREEN CREDIT: INDIAN AIR FORCE+
Ten fishermen were rescued from a boat that was overturned by Cyclone Ockhi.
The intense cyclonic storm has wreaked havoc on parts of India since December 1.
A dramatic video shows an Indian Air Force chopper hoisting the men to safety from the capsized boat that was adrift in the Arabian sea.
Indian officials have launched a massive operation to rescue fishermen, who had strayed into deep sea, when the cyclone struck.
They rushed to help the 10 fishermen in the video after receiving a distress call and found them 20 nautical miles off coast, between the shoreline of Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.
The men were found clinging to the small boat as an Indian Air Force Mi17v5 chopper arrived to pluck them from choppy waters to safety.
A civilian official of Kerala government, who is part of the rescue effort, said: “The men were extremely lucky as the weather condition improved a little. ... That helped them last a few hours after their boat capsized.”
According to Indian officials, 39 people have lost their lives so far and nearly 175 fishermen gone missing due to the Cyclone Ockhi.
Rescue operations are underway to move the affected people to safety and supply relief materials.
