LAHORE: Punjab has acquired two drones to airlift survivors fromflood-hit areas and transport food and other life-saving equipment to people stranded in floodwaters.

The home department conducted a test run of the drone on Wednesday and rescued a man in a mock exercise in Lahore.Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi told Dawn that the drone having the capacity to lift people or relief items up to 100kg had been dispatched to Multan after a test run in Lahore. `Another drone with a capacity to carry up to 200kg has been acquired from Karachi and is expected to reach Multan on Thursday,` he said.

The Punjab government has already been using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and quadcopters to identify citizens trapped in floodwaters before sending boats to the survivors.

Dr Qazi said the drones were equipped with powerful cameras and were being sent on surveillanceflights to identify the worst-hit areas, adding the floods had played havoc in the province. `Where there is an emergency andareas have become inaccessible for routine operations through boats, these drones will airlift people to save lives,` he added.A department spokesman said the secretary had instructed them to acquire 10 more drones for rescue and relief operations.

Separately, the Pakistan Navy has deployed hovercraft in the flood-affected districts of Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur and Shikarpur in Sindh.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, a spokesperson saidthehovercraft were capable of operating across land, water and swampy areas. `In these districts, 4,335 people and over 125 livestock have been successfully evacuated,` the statement said.

The teams also transferred household belongings and fertiliser stocks.