Last Updated on 03/08/2024 by wccexam Desk
More than 300 people have died so far in the devastating landslide in Wayanad, Kerala and a large number of people are still missing. Amidst this terrible disaster, a good news has also come where 6 children were rescued from a remote tribal settlement after an 8-hour tireless operation by Kerala forest officials in landslide-affected Wayanad.
Reacting to this rescue operation, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, “This spirit of the forest officials reminds us that Kerala’s resilience continues to shine even in the worst of times. We will rebuild together and emerge stronger.”
A four-member team led by Kalpetta Range Forest Officer K. Hasheesh carried out this rescue operation on Thursday by crossing a dangerous path inside the forest to save a tribal family. The rescued children include four children aged one to four years from the tribal community.
Related news
- Haryana: So much rain in Yamunanagar that the road caved in and a truck fell into a huge pit, watch video
- Imane Khelif vs Angela Carini, Paris Olympics 2024: Ruckus over transgender player in Olympics… Italian PM Georgia Meloni meets female boxer
- Police quarreled with a Sikh youth during checking, uproar continued for 2 hours on the charge of making him drop his turban
- ‘I did not feel like going to school…’, a 14-year-old boy sent a bomb mail to 3 schools in Delhi
- Criminals became fearless in Ranchi, Jharkhand, sub-inspector shot dead, watch
The family was stuck on a hill inside the forest
The family, belonging to the Paniya community of Wayanad, was trapped in a cave on a hilltop with a deep gorge above it and it took the team over four-and-a-half hours to reach there. Speaking to PTI, Hasheesh said he spotted the mother and the four-year-old child wandering near a forest area on Thursday and upon enquiry, found out that her three other children and their father were trapped in a cave without food.
Hasheesh said the family belonged to a particular section of the tribal community that generally avoids interacting with outsiders. “They usually depend on forest products and buy rice by selling them in the local market. However, it seems they were unable to get any food due to the landslide and heavy rains,” he said.
Ropes were used to climb the rocks
The forest range officer narrated their perilous journey, which involved them traversing slippery and steep rocks amid heavy rains. Hasheesh said, ‘The children were tired, and we fed them with whatever food and drinks we had carried with us. Later, after much persuasion, their father agreed to come with us, and we tied the children to our bodies and started our journey back.’ The officers had to tie ropes to trees and rocks to climb the slippery rocks.
They returned to their local office in Attamala, where the children were fed and given clothes and shoes. They were kept there for the time being and the children are now safe, he said. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan took to social media to appreciate the challenging effort of the forest officials and shared pictures.
CM Vijayan praised
“Six precious lives were saved from a remote tribal hamlet after a relentless 8-hour operation by our courageous forest officials in landslide-hit Wayanad. The spirit of the forest officials reminds us that Kerala’s resilience continues to shine even in the darkest of times. We will rebuild together with hope and emerge stronger,” Vijayan wrote on X on Friday.
Along with Hashish, section forest officer, B S Jayachandran, beat forest officer, K Anil Kumar and RRT (Rapid Response Team) member Anup Thomas trekked more than seven kilometres to rescue the family. As the rains intensified, the forest department had moved most members of the tribal communities in Wayanad to safer places. The family had been living inside the forest for some time, the official said.
(With PTI inputs)
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)