Elephant herd encircled us till 2 am, say Kothamangalam women stranded in deep forest

Kothamangalam: The three women who got stuck in the deep forest at Kuttampuzha told Manorama News that an elephant herd encircled them till 2 am on Friday. Recollecting their horrific experience in the woods, the women said they spent the night on top of a rock.

“We were terrified. When we were searching for the cows in the forest, they had already reached the house,” said Parukutty.
Apart from Parukutty, Maya and Darly were in the three-member gang who got trapped in the forest.

“Though we heard the sound of the search personnel, we kept quiet, thinking they were hunters. We ventured into the forest searching for the cows but got lost while trying to escape from the jumbos,” said Maya and Darly.

Maya phoned her relatives around 4 pm, but later, the phone was switched off. The search party, including forest officials, traced the women in the dense Arakkamuthi area, around 6 km deep in the forest.

Maya said they survived on some water for nearly 14 hours. “It was pitch dark in the forest. I could not even identify the person sitting next to me. I'm happy that we finally returned home,” she said.

Their families and neighbours sighed in relief after they returned home safely. Forest officials and police confirmed that the women did not complain about health issues.
The three women ventured into the deep forest around 2 pm on Thursday to search for their cows. But as they did not return, their relatives and neighbours informed the forest and police and launched an intensive search.