JOIN USRescue team finds missing Bengaluru trekker
A 25-year-old man from Bengaluru, who had gone missing during a trek to Kumaraparvatha near Kukke Subrahmanya temple in Dakshina Kannada, was traced on Tuesday morning.
Santhosh had reached the house of Subrahmanya gram panchayat member Sowmya, a resident of Devaragadde, while walking towards the base.
According to the police, Santhosh had got separated from a team of trekkers from Bengaluru who had arrived at Subrahmanya on September 14 and had gone on an expedition to Kumaraparvatha in the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. Six teams of police and forest officials on Tuesday had taken up search operation.
Santhosh said, “I was not scared but panicked thinking about my parents and friends. From Narayana Bhat’s house at Girigadde (where they had lunch while alighting from Kumaraparvatha to base), there were many routes. I took the wrong route and ended up wandering. I tried to find the way to the base and slept on the rocks for two nights. I did not have any food but had water from waterfalls enroute.”
“While searching for the path, I followed a pipeline thinking it will lead me to a village. I followed it and reached Devaragadde,” he explained.
“Forest personnel, policemen and locals have faced inconvenience after I went missing. They have helped trace me. I am thankful to them,” he said.
No encounter in the wild
“I encountered no wild animals. But came across snakes at a few locations.”
Cautioning the trekkers, environmentalist and avid trekker Dinesh Holla said: “Many trekkers get lost following mist during rainy season. Once they are lost in the valley, they get confused. One should not trek alone. There is the danger of slippery slopes during rainy season.”