Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 19
The Nagaland State Disaster Management Agency (NSDMA) and the Assam Rifles led efforts to locate four lost trekkers in Dzükou Valley in the ensuing night of March 18-19 proved to be successful.
“Three teams, including the Assam Rifles, spread across the Dzükou hills to find the lost trekkers from Mumbai,” informed Johnny Rongmei, OSD to NSDMA, explaining the emergency rescue mission that was launched by the NSDMA at 9:30 pm on March 18. “The Assam Rifles team was able to locate them at about 3:15 am. The trekkers were very cold but safe and sound,” he further stated. The rescue team reached the Jakhama highway entry point to Dzükou at 8:00 am on March 19.
Four trekkers from Mumbai got lost in Dzükou after venturing into the hills without a local guide on Sunday. “They were not clear from which direction they entered but they said they entered from Viswema. Our boys were on Viswema route while the Assam Rifles went from the Jakhama route, which is where they were able to locate them.
They may have felt that our terrain is similar to South India or Western Ghats, and diverted from the footpaths, figuring only much later that they were lost,” said the OSD.
To find phone networks to call for help once they realized they were lost, the trekkers climbed higher still. “They were 270 meters away from the Dzükou viewpoint tower,” said Rongmei.
The NSDMA has now issued an advisory to all trekkers, particularly from outside Nagaland, to take the support of local guides while trekking any part of the Naga hills.
In a separate press release, the PRO, HQ IGAR (North) informed that the Kohima Battalion Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) successfully rescued the four tourists who were stranded during a trek to Dzükou Valley on March 19, 2018.
The tourists namely Shankar, Prabhu, Kaushalaya and Sumitra who had arrived in Kohima from Mumbai on March 18 commenced trekking on Dzükou valley trail from Viswema at 11:30 am on March 18. They kept following sign boards and reached Dzükou Valley top at 6:00 pm. However, they lost the directions thereafter. Rains and thunder storm added to their despair.
According to the press note, the tourists were able to contact Assam Rifles which immediately launched a specialist team from Kohima Battalion along with troops of 164 TA Bn (Home & Hearth). These teams moved out at 9:00 pm on March 18. After a thorough search of six hours, the troops were able to establish contact with the stranded tourists. The tourists were given immediate relief and successfully brought to Kohima, the press release stated.
