Rescuers trace missing Hyderabad trekkers near waterfalls at Tannigebailu forest
CHIKKAMAGALURU: After nearly 48-hour search operation by the police, forest and Anti-Naxal Force personnel, two youngsters from Hyderabad, who were missing since Sunday, were finally traced near Hebbe Falls at Tannigebailu forest range of Chikkamagaluru around 7.30 pm on Tuesday. Tannigebailu forest range falls under the Bhadra Tiger Reserve.
Confirming that the two trekkers, Vivek Gupta (31) and Shashidhar (27), had been found, Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police Santosh Babu told Deccan Chronicle that both were fine.
“We found the two while searching for them in a forested area,” he said.
Mr Babu said that both were found exhausted with their clothes torn. “They had also suffered leech bites. We will speak to them after subjecting them to a medical examination. They will be brought to Chikkamagaluru,” he said.
The two trekkers had gone without food since Sunday and had lost track while searching for a road. Gupta, a lab technician, and Shashidhar (27), a software engineer, were part of an 11-member trekking group.
Forest officials said that the duo, after losing contact with their friends at Galikere on Sunday, might have trekked all the way to Kemmanagundi before stopping at the Hebbe falls. Earlier, the search team found an iPod belonging to Shashidhar at Nattichowka forest, raising hopes of the rescuers that the duo could be within their range.
The police had stopped the search operation earlier due to heavy fog covering the forest. Police, forest and Anti-Naxal Force personnel, and villagers of Mallenahalli and Lingadahalli had joined the search operation. A thick blanket of fog and continuous rains had made the search operation tortuous.
A rescue team looking for the missing trekkers in the forests of Chikkamagaluru
Trekking in Chikkamagaluru best after September
Trekking is a risky affair in Chikkamagalur and surrounding areas during monsoon season, said Mr Mahesh, who is a coach at Chikkamagaluru Adventures, which has been conducting trekking expeditions in the area for the last five years.
Mr Mahesh told DC on Tuesday that as the area receives heavy rainfall, the ground becomes slippery. The terrain is dangerous as it is filled with deep slopes, he said.
Two trekkers from Hyderabad, Vivek Gupta (31), a lab technician, and Shashidhar (27), a software engineer, who were part of an 11-member group, were traced after a two-day search on Tuesday evening.
He said, “At the hills, light begins to fade after 2 pm in monsoon months and in December. This leads to very poor visibility. Fog also adds to the problem of trekkers. It is very difficult if you are an inexperienced trekker.”
In a bit of caution to trekkers, Mahesh said, “It is not safe to trek without a guide inside the forests. The best time to trek in the region is after September when the rains recede and the forests are lush.”
