VIDEO: Army rescues 23-yr-old trekker trapped in hill cleft in Kerala

Palakkad (Kerala): The mountaineering team of the Indian Army on Wednesday rescued the 23-year-old youth who slipped and fell into a hill cleft at Cherad Hill in Malampuzha on Monday noon.

Southern Command Indian Army tweeted that "In a spectacular action, highly qualified Teams of Indian Army have successfully rescued Mr Babu who slipped off a cliff & was stranded in a steep gorge for over 48 hours. The operation was coordinated by #DakshinBharatArea under the aegis of #SouthernCommand @adgpi"

"In a daring mission Indian Army Team from #SouthernCommand has rescued the stranded trekker, Mr Babu to safety from the dangerous cliff, across the treacherous rocky mountain face. #WeCare @adgpi https://t.co/NrIwGyaD59," it added.

The youth was brought to the top of the hill by around 1015 hrs after a hefty task lasting 40 minutes by the rescue team who finally rescued him after 45 hours.

The District Administration is also planning to airlift the youth from the hill top to the Government General Hospital after assessing his health condition by a medical team at the base camp.

R Babu, who hails from Cheradu at Malampuzha, slipped and fell into the cleft on Monday noon while descending the nearby Kurumbachi hills at Elichiram in Palakkad district of Kerala. The accident happened when Babu and three of his friends were trekking in the hills.

Two Army Officers, two JCOs and five other ranks from Wellington arrived at the location last night. On Tuesday, an Indian Coast Guard's Chetak Helicopter attempted for the rescue operation, but, due to inclement weather, it was unable to complete the mission. (UNI)