TIRUNELVELI: When M Murugan and J Vijayan cried for help from the depth of a gigantic stone quarry, there was no immediate help. They, along with four others, were trapped inside a 250-foot-deep quarry at Tirunelveli’s Adaimithippankulam after a giant boulder fell into it.
“A Maria Michael was the first man to bravely come down to us using a rope. He assured us of the progress of the rescue operation, and gave us hope,” said Murugan and Vijayan, the only survivors, recounting the month-old tragedy. Michael flew in the face of danger, and kept the duo alive until they were rescued.
The Fire and Rescue personnel and NDRF teams were in full swing, trying to save the lives of workers trapped inside. The 44-year-old Michael gave the operation the much-needed momentum, say eye-witnesses. From climbing down the rope to rescue three men and planning strategies to recover bodies, Michael was closely involved in the operation since day one of the quarry accident that shook the State in May.
A resident of the Thoothukudi, Michael is a rescue trainer, and works as an international trainer at the RS WindTech Engineers near Aralvaimozhi. The man — who served in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for 11 years — trained senior officials and served as an NRDF trainer for five years. Two years after taking voluntary retirement in 2012, he began training Fire and Rescue personnel in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and other districts. While he works mostly on windmill rescue operations, he specialises in using rope access equipment.
“The stone quarry accident in Tirunelveli was a one-of-the-kind incident and my first time working on such a rescue mission. A similar incident was reported in Goa nearly a decade ago when a few workers were buried inside. It took months to recover some of the bodies. However, with the help of personnel, NDRF’s Arakkonam team and residents, we rescued those who were trapped in the quarry here,” Michael said.
As the operators were working on unfamiliar turf, the risks were enormous. “With the support from former District Fire Officer Sathyakumar, SP P Saravanan and Collector V Vishnu, we were able to complete it with the team sustaining no injuries. Using rope access equipment, three bodies were recovered with strategic planning,” he said. Michael began strategising on the morning of May 15 and the operation went on till May 22.
Requesting anonymity, a mining expert, who played a role in conducting controlled blasts to recover bodies said, “Most officials involved in the rescue were paid for their work but Michael was a volunteer. From the first person rescued alive to the last body recovered, he was on the field. While recovering the body of P Rajendran, Michael went inside to handle the body which had begun to decay. But Michael emerged with the body in hand with no hesitation. He only thought about the families waiting for their loved ones. Throughout the operation, he encouraged every personnel involved to work.”
Giving credit to the team that worked day and night, Michael said, “All suggestions were taken into consideration and steps were taken after analysis. Despite it being a risky operation, the Collector said the bodies had to be recovered for families. So, we worked for eight day.” The Collector appreciated Michael’s efforts after the operation was completed and the SP awarded him with a certificate.