Guna Caves rescue
On 3 September 2006, Subhash fell into Guna Caves and was rescued by his friend Siju David.[1] This is the only known case where a person that fell into Guna Caves survived.[2]
Background
[edit]"It was pitch dark inside and no one knew whether the rope reached him"
Subhash (25) hails from Manjummel, Ernakulam, Kerala and worked as a painter. Subhash, who came to Kodaikanal with his childhood friends, came to visit Guna Caves.[4] His friend group included Siju David.[b][2] A sign in Tamil indicated a prohibited area where 13 people had died; however, the friend group could not read Tamil and proceeded by crossing over the dilapidated fence.[4]
Subhash, who wanted to go down into the 100 feet deep cave, tripped and fell inside. His friend Abhilash noticed his fall, and he informed the rest of the friend group.[4] The locals initially told the friend group to leave to avoid trouble.[4] The friends informed the forest department, and faced police brutality before the forest department staff, the firemen, and forest officer Thirunavukkarasukmai rushed to come help rescue Subhash.[4][2]
His friends urged the firemen to go inside as Subhash's condition would be known only by going down into the cave, but they were afraid to go inside. Siju David then decided to go inside. With a 50 feet rope and an additional rope tied around his waist, Siju David slowly climbed in.[3] When the first rope ended, Siju David turned on his torch but later turned it off since he could only see bats.[4] After going 60 feet deep, he saw Subhash lying on a rock and shouted that his friend was alive.[2]
Firefighters rushed in one after the other. Siju David then hugged Subhash tightly to his body. They were slowly pulled up by the firemen. First aid was given to Subhash who was unconscious. After a struggle of almost 5 hours, Subhash was brought back to a conscious state.[2]
Aftermath
[edit]Subhash, Siju David, and their friends were charged with entering a prohibited area and had to pay a penalty of ₹2,500. After the incident, the director of a fire safety technology institute in Kerala had offered to enroll Siju David in a free course and sponsor his higher studies.[3] The friend group was able to safely leave Kodaikanal without legal hassles after the intervention of the doctor who treated Subhash.[3]
The Dindigul Collectors had spoken about erecting a fence and safety grills at Guna Caves to ensure safety in the future.[1]
It took six months for Subhash to recover from the incident and he spend sixty days in an ayurveda hospital.[4]
In 2008, Siju David received a bravery award from the Indian president.[4]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Kumar, D. Suresh (5 March 2024). "Real Manjummel Boys hero in 2006: I could not think of going back without my childhood friend". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "குணா குகையில் விழுந்து மீண்ட கேரள இளைஞர்!" [Kerala youth recovered after falling into Guna cave!]. Oneindia (in Tamil). Kodaikanal. 6 September 2006. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "A friend in need". The Hindu. Kochi. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "A day out with the original Manjummel Boys". The New Indian Express. 18 March 2024. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
External links
[edit]- "Siju David vs State Of Kerala Represented By on 10 April, 2015". indiankanoon.org. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2024.