Kerala forest officials’ daunting climb atop Wayanad hill to rescue 6 tribals, including 4 kids, from cave

In a daring attempt, Kerala forest department officials have managed to rescue four toddlers and their parents belonging to a tribal community who had been stranded in a cave atop in the aftermath of the Wayanad landslides.

A four-member team led by Kalpetta range forest officer K Hashis rescued the tribal family which included four kids aged between one and four. The rescue mission took four and a half hours one way.

“The family is from the Paniya community of Wayanad, and had been stranded in a cave atop a hill overlooking a deep gorge,” Hashis told news agency PTI.

Hashis said they had found the mother and a four-year-old child wandering to find food for her other children and their father who were stranded in the cave.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan patted the forest department on the back for their bravery in an eight-hour operation where they trekked into the forested areas of the western ghats.

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.”

As the rainfall increased, the forest department shifted most of the members of the tribal communities in Wayanad to safe places.

Hashis said the tribal community survived on forest products and generally avoided interactions with others.

“However, it seems like, due to the landslide and the heavy rain, they were unable to procure any food,” he said.

Tough terrain

The road to rescue the tribals was literally a steep slope, especially amidst heavy rainfall. The officers had to tie ropes to trees and rocks to climb, which he described as hazardous.

He added, “The children were tired, and we fed them with whatever we had carried. Later, after much persuasion, their father agreed to come with us, and we tied the children to our bodies and started our trek back.”

The landslides, which took place in Wayanad district on Tuesday, led to the destruction of roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, leaving people stranded in areas.

The death toll of the landslides has been 308 people, making it the worst natural disaster Kerala has faced since the 2018 floods.