After a 19-year-old youth fell into a 300-ft gorge in Nandi hills, Karnataka, the Indian Air Force conducted a rescue mission and was able to save the youth safely. The 19-year-old victim is a first-year engineering student in Bengaluru and is identified as Nishank Sharma. Nandan reportedly slipped from a cliff and fortunately, got stuck in a gorge instead of slipping further down. With the use of geo-location, he was able to contact the authorities. Initially, personnel of SDRF, NDRF and local police tried to rescue Nandan which was to no avail. Soon, the Indian Air Force was contacted. The IAF used a helicopter and flew over an immobilized Nadan to pull him out of the precarious situation.

The incident comes a few weeks after a trekker in Kerala was rescued 40-hours after being stuck at the Cherad Hill. The mega rescue op involved personnel from NDRF, SDRF and the Indian Army.

Contents hide
1. The Facts of the Matter
2. Falling Into Gorge, Contacting Authorities
3. SDRF, NDRF Personnel Try Rescuing Youth
4. The Challenging Rescue Operation
5. Second Successful Rescue in One Month

The Facts of the Matter

On Sunday, 19-year-old Nishank Sharma fell into a nearly 300 ft rocky gorge at the Karnataka’s Nandi Hills, located near Bengaluru. Hours after he fell into the gorge, he was rescued by joint forces of Indian Air Force (IAF) and the district police. According to reports, the victim is a first-year engineering student from Delhi, studying in Bengaluru.

After the rescue, Superintendent of Police G. K. Mithun Kumar spoke to Press Trust of India where he was quoted saying, “Nishank had come alone for trekking and fell into the gorge. After slipping, he fortunately got stuck. Had he slipped from there, he would have fallen into a cliff of about 300 feet below.”

Also Read: Rajasthan: Groom Among 9 Killed in Accident After Car Falls into River, Were En Route Wedding Venue

Falling Into Gorge, Contacting Authorities

Reportedly, Nishank was asked at a check-post to not go further up above the hill due to the restrictions placed. The young trekker then parked his motorcycle and went trekking. After falling into the gorge, he reached out to the family and the authorities. Soon, a rescue op was initiated with personnel from both State Disaster Relief Force and National Disaster Relief Force swinging into action.

Also Read: Erica Fernandes wins the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Best Actress, Avinesh Rekhi Wins for Best Actor Category

SDRF, NDRF Personnel Try Rescuing Youth

However, the authorities soon realized that given the state of injuries that Nishank had sustained, it was not feasible to lift him through the gorge. The authorities then contacted the district administration and the administration sought out help from the Indian Air Force (IAF).

At about 4:15 PM on Sunday, the deputy commissioner of the Chikkaballapur contacted the IAF about the situation the trekker had gotten himself into. According to the defence spokesperson, the IAF released an Mi-17 helicopter based on the inputs made by the local police on the ground. Soon, Nishank was located.

Also Read: Bihar: Man Spends Over Rs 2 Lakhs to Turn Tata Nano into a Helicopter, Rents It Out for Wedding

The Challenging Rescue Operation

Explaining the challenges faced during the rescue mission, the defence spokesperson further added, “The terrain being treacherous for a landing, the Flight Gunner of the Mi17 was daringly lowered by a winch next to the survivor. The flight gunner helped the survivor to harness and winched up safely.”

Later the air force medical assistant onboard the helicopter attended to the trekker’s injuries. The helicopter reportedly flew him to the Yelahanka Air Force Station and Nishank was later taken to a nearest civil hospital.

Second Successful Rescue in One Month

This is the second successful rescue in made by the Indian defence force in just one month. Earlier on February 8, a Kerala trekker was rescued by the Indian Army after he was stuck on a hill cleft for about 40 hours before food or water. The survivor, R. Babu, was climbing the Cherad Hill in Malampuzha when he had a small slip-up and found himself stuck on a hill cleft.

 

Follow Us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube