Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi praised fire and emergency personnel after they rescued a 14-year-old boy who remained trapped for hours inside a narrow stone crevice in the Kanipada forest of Nayagarh district while collecting honey.
Sharing details of the rescue operation on social media, the Chief Minister commended the “indomitable courage and professional expertise” shown by the teams involved in the high-risk mission. He said the Odisha Fire Services and Emergency Response Team had successfully rescued the boy from a “helpless condition” inside the jungle.
The boy, identified as Shiba Pradhan from Kanipada village, had reportedly entered the forest to collect honey when he got stuck between massive rocks inside a stone groove. His head became wedged in the narrow crevice, leaving him trapped for more than five hours before locals noticed the situation and alerted authorities.
Soon after, fire service teams from Odagaon and Nayagarh rushed to the dense forest area and began a difficult rescue operation. The terrain and unstable boulders made the mission extremely risky, with rescuers constantly fearing falling stones during the process. Officials also raised concerns about possible poisonous snakes in the area, adding another layer of danger.
To free the boy safely, rescue teams used hydraulic jack equipment and advanced machinery to slowly lift the heavy rocks without harming him. A control room was simultaneously set up in Nayagarh to coordinate the operation and monitor developments in real time.
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Despite the pressure, rescue personnel continued speaking to the boy throughout the ordeal to keep him calm and conscious. After nearly seven hours of sustained effort, the teams finally managed to pull him out safely.
“It was extremely challenging. There was a constant fear of falling stones,” a fire officer involved in the operation said, adding that the rescue became difficult because large boulders from the mountain had already collapsed around the area.
The dramatic operation has since drawn praise online, with many calling the rescue teams’ persistence and calm handling of the situation truly remarkable.
(With inputs from Ajaya Kumar Nath)
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