Biggest hilltop rescue in Kerala: Trekker R Babu hung in there, Indian Army heroes did the rest

By: Govinda Prabhakaran
PALAKKAD: On Wednesday morning, a specialised mountaineering unit of Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) of the Indian Army rescued trekker R Babu (23), who was trapped in a crevice with literally no elbow room at Kurumbachi Mala in Malampuzha forests of Palakkad Gap for over 45 hours without food and water.
At around 9.30 am, Naik Balakrishnan of MRC rappelled down the hill to reach the crevice, situated in a sheer rockface at a height of 600 metres, 400 metres below the hill's summit.After giving Babu some water to drink and a bar of chocolate, the commando attached Babu to a security harness and started hauling him uphill.

Midway, another commando chipped in and Babu, whose adventure had kept the entire state glued to television sets and triggered one of the biggest search and rescue operations of its kind in Kerala in recent times, was finally home and dry atop the hill less than an hour after the actual operation began.
Since Monday, when Babu met with the accident, the combined efforts --- which included deploying a chopper and drones -- of the Coast Guard, Navy, the state police and fire force personnel to rescue him, or at least provide him food and water, had gone in vain. The trapped youth's family and local people had lost all hope of rescuing him by Tuesday evening, when the state government sought the Army's help.
Terrain made the operation risky and challenging
The nine-man Army commando unit, which promptly arrived at Palakkad from Bengaluru close to midnight on Tuesday, trekked for around six hours through dense, wildlife-infested forests to reach the Kurumabachi Mala spot.
Lt Col Hemant Raj, who led the MRC team that rescued Babu, said the terrain of Kurumbachi Mala made the operation risky and challenging. Raj said reaching the hilltop and locating Babu was the most challenging part of the mission. The area where the youth got stuck was very steep and there were not many trees on the hilltop to secure the ropes, he said. It took nearly nine hours for the team to reach the correct position. He also said that the mental courage and resilience shown by Babu was a main factor behind the success of the mission.
Visuals released by the Army later showed an ecstatic Babu sitting among his rescuers, kissing them on their cheeks and expressing his gratitude. "Thanks to the Indian Army," he was repeatedly heard saying.
After the rescue, the Army's Southern Command tweeted, "#OP_Palakkad 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.
Babu was provided first aid by thearmy commandos and made to rest till a helicopter from Sulur air base near Coimbatore reached them by 12 noon, when he was shifted to Kanjikode helipad and then rushed to Palakkad district hospital in an ambulance. District medical officer Dr K P Reetha said Babu’s health condition was satisfactory and he would be kept under observation for 24 hours. Palakkad district collector Mrunmai Joshi, who coordinated the entire rescue effort, also confirmed that the health condition of Babu was stable and satisfactory. She said a medical team was monitoring him and providing specialist treatment.
Babu completed his Class X from Malampuzha government school. Since his father died when he was very young, he started doing odd jobs to help his mother who works in a hotel as a cook. Babu’s mother Rasheeda was brought to the Kanjikode helipad, where she met her son and exchanged a few words with him. She said her son is in good health and thanked all those who prayed and worked for his rescue.