A 36-year-old woman who went missing while trekking in the Tadiandamul Hills of Kodagu district four days ago has been found, Karnataka Forest Minister Ishwar Khander said on Sunday.
He said that nine teams conducted a search operation around the clock to locate the young woman. She is in good health and officials have been instructed to ensure she reaches her home safely in Kerala.
GS Charania had traveled alone from Kerala to make the trip and was staying in a private house in Kakapi village.
Read also | The huge influx of tourists has led to the closure of Andarban Forest Trek
She had set out for the high mountain range of Tadiandamul Hills on April 2 with a guide and 15 other trekkers, but disappeared that afternoon.
“The woman has now been found and I also spoke to her. She is in good health,” Khandari told reporters.
Read also | Kedarnath Dham yatra resumes after landslide debris is removed from the trekking route
When all the other hikers returned to their base on the afternoon of April 2, they discovered that Charania was missing. She last called home by phone on Thursday, saying she had lost her way.
He added: “As soon as the matter came to light, five teams began a search operation that began on the same day.”
Noting that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal had expressed concern over the missing woman, the minister said: “On the instructions of the Chief Minister, additional personnel were deployed for the search operation on Sunday.”
Read also | Are you planning to go on a Valley of Flowers trip? Here are 6 things to remember
“Today, 40 additional forest personnel were deployed. Nine teams conducted the search operation, with the support of the police department, anti-Naxal squad and forest department. Local tribal people also helped,” he added, congratulating and thanking all the participants.
The woman was walking alone in the forest. Khandre described her as “brave and adventurous”, noting that due to the lack of mobile connectivity in the forest, her exact location was not known, which delayed the search.
He pointed out that advanced unmanned thermal cameras were used in the operation.
This story has been published from a news agency feed without modifications to the text.
