Chanderi Fort which is 2,500 feet above sea level is an attraction for trekking enthusiasts.
Vijay Kawade
Keeping his wits about him even when he didn’t know what had happened to his friend, saved the life of a trekker who got stuck on a small ledge at Panvel’s Chanderi Fort for hours on Sunday. Sagar Bhilare was saved while Vaibhav Kawade who apparently fell while climbing, was declared dead at a hospital.
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The rescue team with Sagar Bhilare (between the two policemen)
Sagar and Vaibhav, both 24 years old, had been trekking for the past five years. Sagar works with a pharma company while Vaibhav was looking for a job. On Sunday, Sagar, a resident of Mulund picked up Vaibhav from his Airoli house and went to Chanderi Fort. The Fort which is 2,500 feet above sea level is an attraction for trekking enthusiasts.
“They reached Tawarwadi on Sunday around 8 am and started the trek. After climbing upto 600 feet on the cliff, Sagar realised he had lost sight of Vaibhav. He tried calling him but did not get a range,” said an officer from Panvel Taluka Police station. At noon, Sagar realised he was stuck. He couldn’t climb or descend the cliff, and frantically started calling Vaibhav again. When his phone wasnot reachable for a couple of hours, Sagar started making calls and messages for help.
He finally managed to connect to his elder sister who immediately contacted the Navi Mumbai Police Control Room. “We received information around 12 and informed Nisarg Mitra, a group of trekkers which also does rescue operations,” said Ravindra Daundkar, senior inspector of Panvel Taluka police station.
“After walking for 3 hours, we reached the base of the cliff and tried calling Sagar and got through,” said Parag Sarode, rescuer of Nisarg Mitra. “After climbing for another 3 hours, we found him. We wondered how he had managed to climb up the cliff which has a 60 degrees to 70 degrees elevation, without ropes, etc. It was suicidal. We brought him down by 12 am,” added Sarode.
Some villagers spotted a body 500 feet below. Vaibhav was rushed to the sub-district hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. “It was a sensible decision by Sagar to wait and not to act in frustration, otherwise he could have been in a difficult situation too. He had run out of water and food and most stranded trekkers start reacting when they run out of these,” said Sarode. A case of Accidental Death has been reported in Panvel Taluka police station. “We advise trekkers to at least have some basic information of the place where they are going. If possible, talk to someone who has gone there before or to local villagers. Such treks can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening,” added Senior Inspector Daundkar.
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