IAF Rescues Trekker Trapped on Hill Near Bengaluru for Over Eight Hours

After an Mi-17 chopper tracked his location, the helicopter's flight gunner was lowered to rescue the trekker.

The 19-year-old trekker was refused permission to trek on the Nandi hills, and decided to trek on a nearby hill instead. 

(Photo: Twitter page of PRO, Bengaluru, Ministry of Defence) 

A 19-year-old trekker, who was trapped on a hill outside Bengaluru for eight hours, was on Sunday, 20 February, rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF), PTI reported.

The trekker, named Nishank Kaul, had visited the Nandi hills on Sunday to begin his trek. However, he was sent back because, according to the new government guidelines, vehicles were not allowed on the hill.

As a result, he decided to start his trek on an adjacent hill called Bhramagiri.

While trekking, however, he slipped and fell 200 meters, injuring his back and other body parts, Hindustan Times reported.

A police official said that since the part of the hill from where he slipped was extremely steep, he was unable to climb back. Luckily, a tree came in the way of his fall, or else the situation might have been fatal.

The Nandi hills are located around 60 km away from Bengaluru. According to the new government guidelines, only those with official permission are permitted to enter the hills.

Rescue Efforts

GK Midhun Kumar, superintendent of police for Chikkabalapur, told PTI that he received information about the trekker around 12 pm on Sunday.

"He made calls to his friends and family, and also shared his location along with photographs," Kumar said, adding that this information helped in the rescue effort.

However, since the side of the hill where he was trapped was too steep, rescue workers were unable to reach him.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also failed in their attempts to rescue the trekker, who is a native of New Delhi.

IAF Called In

Finally, after repeated failures, the IAF was called in to rescue the man.

An Mi-17 chopper was able to track his location through the information provided by him. The helicopter's flight gunner was lowered to rescue the trekker by the help of a winch.

The onboard medical staff attended to the trekker while he was being transported to Yelahanka air force base, a defence statement said.

This incident comes after a 23-year-old man was rescued by the Indian Army on 9 February after being trapped on a hill in Kerala for 45 hours.

(With inputs from PTI and Hindustan Times.)