A 40-year-old person from the city was rescued a day after he fell into a 150-feet gorge at Madhe ghat in Velha taluka. He was on a trip with his friends on Sunday.
Ramesh Mane, an employee of Thermax India Ltd, had gone with his group of 8-10 friends to Madhe Ghat, famous for scenic waterfall, in Velha taluka. While coming back, his friends realised that Mane was not with them, prompting a search for him. The search operation however had to be stalled due to heavy rainfall and thick fog.
After realising that Mane had gone missing, his friends informed others including Thermax workers union president who in turn asked his friend Sachin Gaikwad for help. According to his friends, Mane had to spend the entire night in the deep gorge while clinging on to a tree branch.
“They were shocked, frightened and were totally clueless. I told them to contact Velha police station and register a complaint and meanwhile, I called my friend Sachin Gaikwad who is known for rescue missions. He immediately responded and reached Velha in the middle of the night,” said Dinesh Dakhave, Thermax workers union president.
Gaikwad and his team reached Velha early Monday morning. “We made two teams and started search operation in every direction of the plateau. As we climbed down the ghat, we spotted Mane in a deep gorge. He was clinging to a nearby branch and was moving abruptly. There was no way to find out whether he was dead or alive. We shouted and whistled to which he responded after several minutes,” said Gaikwad, who works for Dadoji Kondev Bouldering Gym in Kondhwa.
{{/usCountry}}Gaikwad and his team reached Velha early Monday morning. “We made two teams and started search operation in every direction of the plateau. As we climbed down the ghat, we spotted Mane in a deep gorge. He was clinging to a nearby branch and was moving abruptly. There was no way to find out whether he was dead or alive. We shouted and whistled to which he responded after several minutes,” said Gaikwad, who works for Dadoji Kondev Bouldering Gym in Kondhwa.
{{/usCountry}}The rescue team realised that they were short in man power, as Mane was stuck in an inaccessible spot and it was not easy to pull him out to safe area. So, Gaikwad walked back to the village and contacted Shivdurg Mitra Pratishan of Lonavala and asked for technical help.
Meanwhile, one of the rescuers managed to reach Mane, so the team acted swiftly and rather than waiting for the technical team, they brought Mane out with help from local villagers.
“We were surprised when we found out Mane was not majorly injured. However, he wasn’t able to walk properly as he had fallen down almost 150-feet. So we carried him to the village where their team was ready with the vehicle. He was admitted to a local hospital in Velha. I fear he had some internal bleeding, but was alive, that’s the main thing,” added Gaikwad.