Girl Trapped in Boulders for 18-Hours Rescued

Bengaluru: A 19-year-old girl trapped in a cave-like structure among rocky boulders downstream of an overflowing Mydala Lake in Tumakuru for about 18 hours was rescued by personnel of Fire and Emergency Services on Monday.

The girl was feared dead after she went missing in the strong current gushing from the overflowing lake on Sunday afternoon.

The girl identified as Hamsa, a student of Siddaganga Engineering College in Tumakuru accidentally slipped while posing for a selfie with her friend.

It was around 2.30 pm on Sunday when she went missing in the strong current flowing from the Lake and by 3.05 pm, personnel belonging to Fire and Emergency Services reached the spot and conducted a search for Hamsa but could not track her. The rescue operation for missing Hamsa was stopped at around 8 pm on Sunday.

The rescue team of about 17 resumed the search for missing Hamsa on Monday around 8 am. The water flowing from the lake was diverted using sand bags. With the diversion of water, the intensity of current came down to allow rescue personnel to go about their business.

Later on, the rescue personnel made their way by cutting through rocky boulders and reached Hamsa at around 11.30 am. Hamsa was inside a cave-like structure which was about 25-foot deep.

A rescue personnel told Deccan Chronicle Hamsa was in fine health when she was tracked by the rescue personnel and there were vents to allow air to let in. “It was a miracle that she survived the fall and strong current from the lake. The current was too high to negotiate,” said the rescue personnel.

Hamsa was treated at a hospital and she told reporters “Initially, I thought I lost my life. But I came across a boulder and latched on it to save my life."