Angul: A joint search and rescue operation is underway in the dense forests of Malyagiri Hill in Pallahara sub-division of Odisha’s Angul district, where three young trekkers remain stranded in the rugged terrain.
According to sources, a group of seven youths from the neighbouring Keonjhar town traveled to t
he region for a mountaineering expedition on Wednesday. While four members of the trekking party managed to safely navigate their way back down the steep slopes, the remaining three got separated and lost their bearings in the dense forest. Upon realising their companions were missing, the trekkers sought immediate assistance from local residents, police, and forest officials.
The Odisha Fire Service personnel were immediately deployed. The operation, however, encountered significant hurdles due to Malyagiri’s notoriously difficult, rocky landscape, thick forest canopy and inclement weather, which severely slowed the movement of the rescue personnel as they navigated the slippery, inaccessible trails.
Despite the adverse weather and treacherous weather conditions, rescue teams have successfully traced the coordinates of the missing trekkers to an area roughly 7 km deep into the hills and are steadily closing the distance to their location.