Army team reaches trapped Kerala trekker R Babu, likely to be airlifted

A rescue team of the Indian Army on Tuesday morning reached Kerala trekker R Babu, who is trapped in a hill cleft in Malampuzha village in state's Palakkad district since Monday. Army officers said they crawled four hours to reach the 23-year-old.

He was given some water and is now likely to be taken to the hilltop since the descent is cumbersome. The rescue operation, one of the biggest in recent times, also involves personnel of the Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

The rescue operation, which was halted on Tuesday, was launched again on Wednesday morning.

The trekker's friends said he fell into an opening on the hill when he experienced exhaustion while trying to descend the rocks.