Wayanad: Kerala forest department officials successfully rescued four children and their parents, members of a tribal community, who were trapped in a cave after the Wayanad landslides. The rescue operation was carried out by a four-member team led by Kalpetta range forest officer K Hashis. The team managed to save the tribal family, which consisted of four children between the ages of one and four. The entire rescue mission took four and a half hours for the team to reach the stranded family.
“The family belongs to the Paniya community of Wayanad and was stranded in a cave on a hill overlooking a deep gorge,” Hashis told the PTI news agency. According to Hashis, they encountered the mother and a four-year-old child who were trying to find food for the other children and their father, who were still trapped inside the cave.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan commended the forest department for their bravery during an eight-hour operation, which involved trekking into the forested regions of the Western Ghats.
Pinarayi Vijayan commends officials
Pinarayi Vijayan posted on X, “Six precious lives were saved from a remote tribal settlement after a tireless 8-hour operation by our courageous forest officials in landslide-hit Wayanad. Their heroism reminds us that Kerala’s resilience shines brightest in the darkest times. United in hope, we will rebuild and emerge stronger, ” Vijayan said in a post on X.
As the rainfall intensified, the forest department relocated the majority of the tribal community members in Wayanad to safer locations. Hashis mentioned that the tribal community primarily relied on forest resources for their livelihood and typically refrained from interacting with others.”However, it seems like, due to the landslide and the heavy rain, they were unable to procure any food,” he said.
Rescuers’ treacherous journey
The rescuers faced a hazardous journey to save the tribals. Heavy rainfall made the steep terrain even more hazardous, requiring officers to use ropes to climb. They carried food for the tired children and persuaded their father to join them, tying the kids to their bodies for the trek back. The landslides destroyed roads, bridges and infrastructure, leaving many stranded and claiming 308 lives, making it Kerala’s worst natural disaster since the 2018 floods.
