Kerala Floods: Modified Mahindra Bolero 4×4 SUV Rescues Trapped People (Video)
Kerala has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the last couple of days. The water level in most rivers has increased, and the shutters of several dams have also been raised. Landslides and cloudbursts have been reported from different districts of the state. Many low-lying areas are underwater, and authorities have opened up control rooms to help people. Accessing many areas has become a major challenge, and during such tough times, we need special-purpose vehicles or boats to rescue trapped people. Here we have a couple of videos where young people with modified 4×4 SUVs are rescuing people trapped in their homes.
The videos have been shared on various social media pages. In the first video, we see an old-gen Mahindra Bolero moving through a flooded road. The SUV is modified with a snorkel. The SUV wades through water without any issues. There are at least four people inside the SUV. We see the SUV going into the porch of a house that was filled with water.
The water was up to the window line of the Mahindra Bolero. If you have seen a Bolero up close, you know that it is a tall MUV. The water got into the cabin, and as this is a very old model with very few electronics, the owner didn’t face any issues. We see him drive the SUV effortlessly.
The boys drive the Bolero to the house and rescue the people living there. As the water was too deep, they made the residents sit on the roof and bonnet of the SUV. They drove the SUV out and rescued the people. It looks like the Bolero even rescued a mini lorry that was stuck in the water.
In the second video that was posted on the same page, we see the old Mahindra Jeep 4×4 SUV wading through water. It had lifebuoys and a small raft on the roof for rescue.
Even this SUV is moving through flooded residential areas. This SUV is also modified and is built for such situations.
Not the First Time
This is not the first time we have seen the off-roaders’ community come together to help people when they were in need of help. Back in 2018, when Kerala witnessed one of the biggest floods in its history, many 4×4 owners used their vehicles to access hilly regions with mud tracks. They used their SUVs to rescue people and even bring essential items to places where people were trapped for days.
We have videos of the same available online too. Modifications of any type are illegal in India. However, in situations like these, your regular car or an SUV won’t be of any use. It was because of these modifications that the owners could actually rescue people in a timely manner.
Most of the videos that are circulating online are now asking the Kerala government to come up with a way in which they can actually modify their vehicles legally. In the past, there have been cases where SUVs that were once used for flood rescue were fined by the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department.