MADIKERI: A woman from Kerala who went missing during a trek to Tadiandamol in Kodagu district has been traced after a four-day search operation. According to sources, she survived on water alone and is now out of danger.
She was found inside a forest zone in the Tadiandamol range, with members of the local Adiya tribal community assisting authorities in the rescue.
Sharanya (36), a native of Nadapuram in Kozhikode, had gone missing on April 2 while trekking to Tadiandamol, the highest peak in Kodagu. She was located on Sunday at around 5.30 pm in the forest region of the Tadiandamol range. Sources said locals from the Adiya tribal community, including Raju, Aiyappa, Subramani and Mani, tracked her down in a sacred grove region.
Shyam, Sharanya’s elder brother, told TNIE that she lost her way after reaching the peak. “She was waiting for someone while getting down from the peak and she lost her way,” he said. He added that she survived on water for four days and took shelter among rocks.
Virajpet MLA AS Ponnanna, who was at the site to oversee the search operation, met Sharanya after the rescue. When he met her, Sharanya, with a smile, introduced the tribal members who had rescued her.
Ponnanna said he had planned to form more teams, including locals, to continue the search on Monday before receiving news of her rescue. “She is an experienced trekker. She took shelter at a place where water was available, and she slept on the rocks. She was all drenched in the rain. However, five people from the Adiya tribal community rescued her,” he said.
Personnel from the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), Reserve Police, forest officials, and members of the Kudiya tribal community had been involved in the search over the past four days. Sharanya has been shifted to Virajpet Hospital for a general check-up. As confirmed by the MLA, the Forest Department will arrange her return to her native place in Nadapuram.