Maha: Man stranded on tree rescued 12 hours after falling into river in Kolhapur amid heavy rains

Screengrab from rescue video

A dramatic rescue operation took place on Friday morning when a 50-year-old man, identified as Bajrang Khamkar from Lakhewadi village in Sangli's Shirala, was found stranded on a tree in the flooded Warna river. He had fallen into the river the previous night around 9 pm after losing balance on a bridge. The incident occurred on the border of Kolhapur and Sangli districts in western Maharashtra.

The Kolhapur Disaster Response Force (KDRF) was instrumental in saving the man's life. The heavy rainfall in Kolhapur district over the past few days had led to increased water levels in several rivers, including the Panchganga and the Warna.

Thankfully, some alert individuals noticed the stranded man on the tree in the middle of the swollen river and immediately alerted the local administration. The KDRF team, including team commanders Krushna Sorte, Sunil Kamble, Shubham Katkar, Jeevan Kubde, Shravan, and Somnath Sutar, swiftly launched a rescue operation.

Using a rescue boat, the team successfully rescued Khamkar around 10.30 am on Friday. They also provided him with much-needed medical assistance after the ordeal.

As the situation continued to be precarious due to heavy rainfall, the water level of the Panchganga river in Kolhapur reached 41.2 feet, which was above the warning level. However, officials have been monitoring the water levels and the overall situation to ensure public safety.

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District guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar visited the affected areas to assess the situation. Following the opening of five automated gates of the Radhanagari dam on Wednesday, there were concerns about a potential rise in the water level of the Panchganga river. However, the intensity of rain reduced, and the water level did not rise as expected. Thus, the district administration was able to permit evacuated individuals to return to their homes.

Fortunately, the weather department did not issue an 'orange alert' for the district on Friday, and water was also being released from Karnataka's Almatti dam, which could help improve the overall situation.

Despite the challenges posed by heavy rainfall and swollen rivers, the timely response from the rescue team and local administration ensured the safe rescue of the stranded man in this incident. (With inputs from PTI)