Selfie-taking man survives 140-foot fall in Karnataka's Belgavi

BELAGAVI: A youngster, who was considered dead after he fell from a 140-foot cliff while taking a selfie at the Gokak waterfalls in Belagavi district on Saturday evening, October 2, 2021, was miraculously found alive early on Sunday morning. A team of youth, headed by well-known wildlife activist and rescuer Ayub Khan, succeeded in rescuing the victim, who escaped with minor injuries.

The rescued youth, Pradeep, a resident of Kalaburagi and working at a bank at Belagavi, had gone to the falls along with his friends on Saturday. He walked to the edge of a cliff to take a selfie, but lost balance and fell. Soon after getting the information, the police and Khan’s team rushed to the spot and started the search operation. But as they could not find Pradeep till Saturday evening, they called off the search presuming him dead and decided to resume the search on Sunday. 

Khan told TNIE that around 3 am on Sunday, he received a call that Pradeep had been found alive. Pradeep himself had called his friend on his mobile phone and asked him to get help immediately as he was stuck between the rocks. Khan and his team decided to start the search at 3.30 am, and called Pradeep, asking him to share his location on the mobile phone. The team finally traced and rescued Pradeep around 5.30 am.