An Army team on February 9 morning reached out with food and water and finally rescued the hiker who was caught in a crevice on a steep hill at Malampuzha near Palakkad.
The rescue team lifted him with a rope and visuals in news channels showed the rescue team slowly climbing up by making stops in between to give the youth some rest. The youth is to be airlifted by a Coast Guard helicopter soon.
R. Babu, 23, a local man who climbed the 1,000-metre high Cheradu Mala on February 7, had slipped off the rock and fallen into a crevice. Although he suffered minor injuries, he spent nearly two days at a steep opening of the crevice from where he helplessly watched the desperate rescue attempts being made since February 7.
Watch | Kerala hiker rescued by Army team
By 8.30 a.m. on February 9, a member of the Army team led by Lt. Col. Hemant Raj climbed down into the crevice from top of the hill and provided Babu with water and food. He was almost exhausted after spending nearly two days in the crevice without water and food.
District Collector Mrunmai Joshi, who supervised and coordinated the rescue operations at a base camp set up in the plains, said that Mr. Babu had responded positively to the rescue team’s communications and that his health was stable.
Two Army teams, one from Bangalore regiment and the other from Madras regiment, had reached Malampuzha on February 8 night. When one team went to the top of the hill the other team stood below. The rescue operation began with the break of the day.
With the help of a large drone, the Revenue Department provided details of the location where Mr. Babu was caught. The Army team communicated with him and gave him reassurances. He was heard crying for water. “Providing him with water and food is the first priority. We are very happy that he responded positively,” said Ms. Joshi. Finally, he was hauled up to safety around 10 a.m. by the Army personnel.
