Lost but not afraid: Kerala trekker recounts four days alone in Kodagu hills
Thiruvananthapuram/ Bengaluru (PTI): A 36-year-old woman from Kerala, who was found on Sunday after going missing for four days in the Tadiandamol hills of Karnataka’s Kodagu district, said she “lost her way somehow” but never felt afraid during the ordeal.
Appearing calm and composed, G S Sharanya, a native of Nadapuram in Kozhikode district of Kerala, walked out to the rescuers with a smile, recounting how she survived alone in the dense forest with limited resources and fading hope of contact.
She was part of a 10-member group that had set out for trekking on Thursday.
She was reported to have reached the Thadiyandamol trekking base around 7 am that day. Later, authorities were alerted after she failed to return, prompting a search operation soon after.
Addressing reporters after being rescued, she said, “I had lost my way. I could not see anyone when I climbed down. I came to a left-side path but could not find anyone."
With just a 500 ml bottle of water and no mobile connectivity, she said she tried contacting a colleague, before her phone ran out of charge.
“I walked till around 6.45 pm on the first day after losing the path. After that, I stayed in an open space near a stream as I could not proceed further because of the dense forest,” she said.
In the days that followed, she kept moving in the hope of finding help.
“In the days that followed, I kept walking expecting to meet someone,” she added.
Despite being alone in a forest area believed to be frequented by elephants and amid intermittent heavy rain, the woman said fear never overtook her.
“I did not feel scared. I don’t know why,” she said with a confident smile.
She was eventually spotted by a group of locals in a remote patch of the forest “where nobody usually goes”, according to members of the rescue team.
Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed that the woman had been found and was in good health.
A massive round-the-clock search operation involving nine teams—including forest officials, Anti-Naxal Squad members, and local tribal communities—had been launched soon after she was reported missing.
Sharanya, who was staying at a private homestay in Kakkabe village, had set out on April 2 for a trek to the Tadiandamol peak along with a guide and a group of trekkers but went missing later that day.
Officials said she had last contacted the homestay on Thursday, informing them that she had lost her way.
Search efforts were intensified on the directions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, with additional personnel and advanced equipment, including thermal drone cameras, deployed to locate her.
State Forest Minister Khandre described her as “brave and adventurous”, noting that the lack of mobile connectivity in the forest had made it difficult to trace her location.
Authorities said she would be safely escorted back home to Kerala.
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Delhi records high of 32.7 deg C; AQI remains 'moderate'
New Delhi (PTI): The maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 32.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 1.3 notches below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 20.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 1.3 notches below the average for the season, while the relative humidity stood at 46 per cent at 5.30 pm, the IMD said.
The weather department has forecast a partly cloudy sky for Monday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 34 and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The air quality remained 'moderate' at 4 pm, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 134, a slight drop from Saturday’s 137, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
