Three Kerala Women Rescued After 14-Hour Forest Ordeal

 Thiruvananthapuram: In Kerala, three women endured a terrifying ordeal when they went missing in a deep forest on Thursday.

Parukutty, Maya, and Darly were searching for their cows when they lost their way.

The women spent the night surrounded by a herd of elephants, taking refuge atop a rock. After 14 hours in the dense forest, they were located by forest officials approximately 6 km within the forest and were subsequently rescued.

Recounting their distressing experience, the women shared that they had lost their way in the forest due to fear of an elephant encounter. "We stayed awake all night, praying. Darkness surrounded us. The elephants stayed nearby until about 2 am," Parukutty told mediapersons.

The DFO revealed that the trio was discovered in Arakkamuthi, roughly six kilometers from where they were reported missing.

The disappearance of the three women was confirmed around 4 pm on Thursday. Maya contacted her husband to report they were lost and that her phone's battery was nearly depleted.

After the women went missing, forest officials, police personnel and locals initiated a search. The operation was suspended at nightfall.

By Friday morning, additional search teams were mobilized, including forest department staff, the fire brigade, local volunteers, and forest watchers.

The only clue came from Parukutty, one of the missing women familiar with the area, who mentioned they were near a rock and had spotted a check dam.

The search was a collaborative effort involving the police, fire brigade, forest department, and local residents, with four teams established for the task.

The family members of the missing women, who endured a distressing ordeal, heaved a sigh of relief after the three were rescued from the forest.