Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 2 (LatestNewsX) – After an exhaustive search, three forest officers who had gone missing inside Kerala’s Bonakkad inner forest during a tiger census were found safe early Tuesday morning.
The rescue squad located the men in the remote, thick‑forest area of Eratumukku, close to the survey zone, later that day.
“They’re being escorted back to safety now,” said a spokesperson for the forest department.
The missing team comprised Vineetha, a forester from the Palode Range Office, BFO Rajesh, and forest watcher Rajesh. They had entered Bonakkad on Monday as part of a routine tiger population count.
Although the team was scheduled to return in the evening, contact was lost after they pushed deeper into the forest.
When repeated calls failed, authorities mobilised a search party late that night. The Rapid Response Team, assisted by local staff familiar with the rugged terrain, scoured the area through the night.
Bonakkad borders Tamil Nadu and sits on the ecologically sensitive Agasthyamala belt, a region notorious for its steep hills, poor accessibility, and frequent wildlife encounters—contributing to the urgency of the operation.
Senior officials, including the Divisional Forest Officer, kept a close watch on the search and reached the site by early Tuesday.
Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who had earlier said “it was too early to say they were missing” and that it was only a loss of communication, confirmed that all three officers are safe and on the way out.
Initial reports indicate the officials strayed beyond the planned survey track, and the thick canopy made radio contact nearly impossible.
Medical teams were put on standby, but first indications are that the men are physically unhurt.
With the team recovered, forest authorities plan to review safety protocols for field staff working in high‑risk wildlife zones.
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