CALCUTTA, 20 January 2005 — A young IAF pilot helplessly watched the tsunami devour his wife and child from the safety of his helicopter but could do nothing to help. “I hovered over the water and saw my whole family being washed away below me. There was not even a rope I could throw to them. I don’t think I will ever be able to sleep peacefully,” the IAF helicopter pilot told a Calcutta English daily in one of the most heartrending stories of the killer tsunami.
The newspaper did not name the pilot who lost his loved ones at the IAF base in Car Nicobar Island. Bodies of as many as 185 IAF personnel and their families have been recovered so far from the Car Nicobar base. The base on the low-lying island faced the brunt of the tsunami.
In his account, the pilot said he was at home with his family when the first tremor was felt Dec. 26. Within minutes the Station Commander ordered all fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to take off.
“As it was a Sunday, we were not flying in the morning. Although the planes were fueled and ready, we were taking it easy. But we were airborne as soon as the commander gave the order. Most of us were in our pajamas or shorts. There was no time to get into our flying suits.”
He recalled that even as the last plane took off, the base shook violently. The hangars collapsed and the runway was destroyed. While the AN-32s flew away to another base, the helicopters hovered around. From their machines, the pilots saw the tsunami waves hit their homes.
“The waves engulfed the residential buildings. When they receded, they tore away the top floors. I saw my wife and daughter being swept away and tried to take the helicopter down but dared not get too close as the rotors’ turbulence would have destroyed any chances they had of surviving. When we managed to land at the base, only five people were alive. My family was not among them.”
