A 19-year-old student, who fell 300 ft from a steep cliff onto a rocky ledge at Nandi Hills was rescued with the help of an Indian Air Force helicopter on Sunday.
The rescue operation was conducted jointly by the Chickballapur police and the Indian Air Force. Though he was trapped and unable to move, the young man had the presence of mind to contact the police and his family in Delhi informing them about his predicament.
Early Sunday morning, Nishank Sharma – a first year computer science engineering student from PES University in Bengaluru – rode to Nandi Hills, a popular weekend destination on his bike. According to the police, he had planned to go on a hike before returning home.
“A few hours after he fell, he was able to reach for his phone which was still working. He spoke to the local police and his family who are based in Delhi,” said a police officer.
The moment they received the alert, a police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Vasudev along with a rescue team started to search for Niskhank. “We heard him first, and zeroed in on his location. We even spoke to him but we could not get down to the ledge where he was trapped,” said a police officer who was part of the rescue team.
When they attempted to lower themselves from the steep cliff they could not make it beyond 30 ft. “We also realised that it would be highly risky to bring him up the rocky surface given his injuries,” the officer added.
The police later immediately sought the help of the district administration who in turn contacted the Indian Air Force, requesting support for the rescue operation. A rescue team with a helicopter arrived at the spot. Footage from the clip shows rescue personnel rappelling from the helicopter to Nishank. In an operation that lasted over five hours, they were able to safely extricate the 19-year-old. According to sources he had sustained severe back injuries and needed immediate medical attention as he had been trapped without food or water.
“He was taken to the Yelahanka Air Base and from there to a private hospital,” Mithun Kumar G.K., Superintendent of Police, Chickballapur district , who supervised the rescue operation, said.
Nandi Hills is a popular destination for trekkers but the accident highlights the lack of safety measures in place. The local police said they were now stepping up vigil to ensure that trekkers followed basic safety protocol. .
