Palakkad, Kerala: In a daring rescue operation, firefighters on Tuesday rescued four people, including an elderly man and woman, stranded on a rock in the middle of the swollen Chittoor river in Palakkad district. The water level of the Chittoor river rose due to the release of water from the Moolathara regulatory area as its catchment areas received rainfall. Kerala Energy Minister Krishnankutty immediately rushed to the spot and took charge of the rescue efforts, officials said. The firefighters then launched a daring operation, carefully reaching the rock and connecting it to the river bank with a rope.
Visuals broadcast by TV news channels showed the four stranded people were provided with life jackets and then the firefighters brought them safely to the shore through inflatable rescue tubes attached to ropes to prevent them from drifting away. Minister Krishnankutty congratulated the firefighters for their fearless operation. An orange alert was issued for Palakkad, warning of heavy rain ranging from 11 cm to 20 cm. Officials said necessary warnings have been issued about the possibility of rising water levels due to rains and people living on the banks of the Chittoor river have been urged to remain vigilant. However, four people from Mysore in Karnataka, who had come to Palakkad in search of a job, unaware of the warning, entered the river and got trapped when the water level suddenly rose.
