COVID-19: IAF airlifts oxygen containers from Singapore amid shortage in India

As the world reiterates support to India after it proved the testament of cooperation by delivering vaccines across the globe, Indian Air Force aircraft airlifted four cryogenic oxygen containers from Singapore’s Changi International Airport and will reach India on April 24. The Singaporean mission in India said on Twitter while sharing images of IAF aircraft being loaded with the oxygen tanks that would help India to tackle the crippling second wave of COVID-19 pandemic along with the oxygen crisis.

Singapore also pledged solidarity with India and said “we stand with India” to tackle the global health crisis. The Indian Air Force said in a statement that its C-17 aircraft got airborne at 2 AM on April 24 from Hindan Air Base for Changi International Airport, Singapore after it arrived in Singapore at 7:45 AM.

Meanwhile, similar efforts have been made by IAF to meet the dire need for Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across the nation by airlifting the tanks. Indian Air Force on April 24 also said, “Air lift of empty cryogenic oxygen containers from different parts of the country is underway. After the task completion from Begumpet to Bhubaneswar & Indore to Jamnagar, C-17 ac are air transporting the containers from Pune, Indore & Jodhpur to Jamnagar.”

At present, the total cases in India have mounted to 1.66 crores with active cases being 25.52 lakh. To date, India has recorded at least 1.89 lakh with 1.38 crore recoveries. Meanwhile, the total number of people who have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is 13.83 crores. On Saturday, Delhi High Court also asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected COVID-19 second wave peak amid the oxygen crisis and shortage of drugs and hospital beds in several states. The Delhi HC bench termed the massive rise of COVID-19 cases as a ‘tsunami’.

Indian Railways Steps Up Efforts Amid Crisis

Not just the Indian Air Force, Suneet Sharma, Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board on April 23 relayed the steps taken by the Railway Ministry in fast-forwarding the process of transporting Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to various states amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, he said that the “first and foremost” thing that Railways is doing its transporting oxygen along with managing the travellers and other goods that are required in these challenging times. 

Further elaborating on the issues with oxygen transportation in the country, Sharma said most of the plants where oxygen is produced are on the east but they had to stand up to Maharashtra’s demand to explore the feasibility of transporting LMO through railways on April 15.

Image credits: @SGinIndia/Twitter