KHANDWA: Four picnickers stranded overnight on a small island at the confluence of two swollen rivers in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district survived by relying on drone-delivered food, drinking water and life jackets.They remained in constant contact with rescuers before being brought to safety after an 11-hour operation early Friday, news agency PTI reported.The group had gone for a picnic to the Handikundi area, about 20 km from the district headquarters, where the Sukta and Avana rivers meet, on Thursday.Heavy rainfall triggered a sudden rise in the water level, cutting off the island and leaving Huzefa Hamid, 40, Mayank alias Gopal, 16, Ali Asgar, 35 and Ayush, 18, stranded.After receiving information from the police control room around 6.15pm, a State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) team rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.Officials said the first attempt to tow a motorboat to the island using safety ropes had to be abandoned because of the strong river current, making the operation too risky for both the stranded people and rescuers.With the water level continuing to remain high, rescuers adopted an alternative strategy to keep the group safe until conditions improved.“Keeping the safety of the stranded people in mind, life jackets, food and drinking water were delivered to the island using drones. This provided relief and ensured their safety until the water level receded. Constant contact was maintained with them via mobile phone, boosting their morale,” an official said.Once the water level dropped partially, the SDERF team resumed the operation.Despite the strong current, rescuers successfully towed a motorboat to the island using safety ropes and evacuated all four people safely at around 4.45am on Friday.Officials said the nearly 11-hour rescue operation concluded without any injuries.(With agency inputs)