India: Efforts on to rescue trekker trapped on Kerala hill for over 30 hours

Rescue officers, including the Indian army, are on a mission on Tuesday to rescue a youth who has been trapped in the cavity of a steep hill in the state of Kerala for more than 30 hours.

Army rescue team, including mountaineering experts, are on the mission late in the night to rescue 23-year-old Babu who fell down from the top of a hill near Malampuzha during a hiking trip. Babu is stuck in a cavity on the side of the steep hill, local media reported.

According to TheNewsMinute.com, Babu and three of his friends went on a hiking trip to Kurumbachi hills on Monday. On their way down, Babu slipped and fell, and found himself stuck inside the small cavity that was just enough for him to squat and sit inside. Babu’s friends tried everything — wooden sticks, logs, ropes, but Babu could not climb up. His friends then went down the hill and informed the local residents and the police.

Rescue operations were conducted by local police, fire brigade and a Coast Guard chopper, which failed. Visuals from the spot showed Babu squatting in a small cavity on the side of the hill, and rescue officials trying to reach him from above the hill. It was not easy to spot him either, drones had to be sent up the side of the hill to try and find where he had been stuck, the report said.

Teams from the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force reached the location for the rescue mission, according to media reports. Officers said rescue operations will continue late into the night.

• India