Photo of the Year 2010 - Reuters

[Marjah]

ADREES LATIF
Dramatic photo of flood victims grasping at a rescue helicopter.

Overview

Adrees Latif’s firsthand account of the story behind his photograph:

A week into the biggest humanitarian crises in decades, the Pakistan floods had moved on to submerge areas of southern Pujab province while leaving a trail of death, damaged infrastructure and an uncertain future in the north of the country. As the flood waters ravaged villages and towns along the Indus River basin, I too followed its trail of destruction.

After spending days wading through flood waters to tell the story, I arrived in Multan on August 6 in hopes of getting a seat upon a chopper taking part in relief efforts. My goal was to bring light to the vast amount of landmass the floods had covered, the same viewpoint that made U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon note the Pakistan floods were worst disaster he had ever seen.

On the morning of August 7, I was granted a seat upon an Army helicopter that was to deliver relief supplies to flooded villages in the Muzaffargarh district of Punjab. After loading the chopper with packets of cooked rice mixed with chickpeas, the crew and a handful of journalists departed in search of marooned villagers. We soon spotted families taking refuge in a cemetery, the only landmass in the area above water. As the helicopter came down to land, dozens of men and boys started to charge, forcing the pilots to hover over the crowd.

As the doors to the helicopter opened to distribute food supplies, I saw my chance for a different angle and took a step back before leaping past the crewmen and meters below onto the ground. I knew I had as much time as it would take the crewmen to distribute the relief supplies they had brought. Tripping over mounds and gravestones, I managed to find enough distance from the helicopter to show dozens of hands reaching into the air to catch food rations being thrown down. Seconds later, as the hands started coming down, I knew it was a clear signal to return to the helicopter in hopes of getting back on.

I fought the dust and force from the propellers to return under the belly of the hovering craft and captured images of villagers hanging onto the skids in hopes of being rescued. After capturing an image that showed their desperation, I went behind the crowd to make eye contact with the crewmen, letting them know I wanted back on before they departed. After getting the visual go-ahead to return, I raced towards the doorways and with the help of a villager, hurdled over the crowd before being pulled up single handedly by a crewman.

As the helicopter started to take off, the elderly man in the photograph, with a white scarf around his neck, managed to hang on and was pulled to safety.

Journalists of the Year 2010