New Delhi: Kerala trekker C Babu, who was stuck in a hill cleft in Palakkad district for two days, after rescue, said that he wanted to join the Indian Army.
“My heart swelled with pride when he (Babu) said he wanted to join the Army,” said Lt Col Hemanth Raj, the officer who led the rescue operation for the Kerala trekker, while speaking to News18.
The incident took place on Monday when Babu, who went trekking with a group of friends, was climbing down the Kurumbachi hill. However, while trekking down, Babu got exhausted and he suddenly slipped and fell into the cavity.
His friends, who tried to help him but failed, climbed down the hills and sought help from the police.
The rescue operations began on Tuesday morning and on the request of Palakkad Collector Mrunmayi Joshi, it was decided that Babu would be airlifted using a helicopter, However, the helicopter could not reach him since the cleft was deep.
The rescue operation had to be halted then and resumed on Wednesday. All this while, Babu remained conscious and kept in touch with the rescuers through his phone.
Earlier, Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the health condition of the 23-year-old was satisfactory.
The rescue operation, one of the biggest in the recent times, had to rope in the Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, and was finally concluded successfully with the rescue of Babu around 10am on Wednesday.
Lt Col Hemanth Raj, from the Madras Regiment, said the 23-year-old trekker is doing well and recuperating. “Once he had biscuits and water, he was kissing us all,” Raj said as quoted by News18.