Wayanad landslide: Kerala officials climb mountain for eight hours to rescue stranded tribal family

In a daring eight-hour operation, Kerala forest officials rescued four young children and their parents, who belonged to a tribal community, who were trapped in a hilltop cave after a landslide in Wayanad. The landslide that occurred on July 30 killed 308 people and injured hundreds more.

A four-member team led by Kalpetta range forest officer K Hashis rescued the tribal family, including four children between one and four years old, amid heavy rain and rocky terrain. Their heroic deeds won praise from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

“In landslide-hit Wayanad, our brave forest officials saved 6 precious lives at a remote tribal settlement after 8 hours of tireless efforts. Their heroism reminds us that Kerala Resilience shines through the darkest of times. United with hope, we will rebuild and emerge stronger,” Vijayan wrote in the X post.

The family belongs to the Paniya community in Wayanad. Forest officer K Hashis found the mother of the children wandering in the Attamala forest in search of food. PTI the report said. She then led forest officials to a cave where four young children were taking refuge.

“They usually survive on forest products and sell them in local markets to buy rice. However, due to landslides and heavy rains, they seem to be unable to buy any food,” Hashis said.

“The children were tired, so we fed them with what we had brought… We tied the children up and started hiking back,” he added.