Daijiworld Media Network - Akole

Akole, Jan 19: Ten tourists who had gone for nature tourism to the remote and high-altitude ‘Aajoba’ mountain in Akole taluka of Ahmednagar district were stranded atop the hill overnight after darkness set in and fear gripped the group. Following a night-long rescue operation, all of them were safely brought down on Sunday morning.

The incident occurred on Saturday when a group of 10 tourists, including three women from Pune, Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, arrived near Kumshet village to trek Aajoba mountain. They were accompanied by local guides from Samrad and Kumshet.

After trekking enthusiastically throughout the day, the group visited the Valmiki Rishi Ashram and enjoyed the scenic surroundings. However, while descending in the evening, darkness fell and fear set in while navigating the steep mountain edges. As a result, some elderly members and younger participants lost confidence, forcing the group to halt on the mountain.

Realising the seriousness of the situation, one of the frightened tourists contacted a friend serving in the armed forces and informed him about being stranded, even requesting helicopter assistance. The armed forces immediately alerted the Rajur police and the forest department.

Taking swift action, Forest Range Officer Pratibha Sonawane and Assistant Police Inspector Kishor Pawar of Rajur police station rushed to the spot with their teams. With the support of local villagers and a rescue team, officials stayed with the stranded tourists throughout the night, reassuring them and ensuring their safety. At daybreak, the rescue team carefully escorted all the tourists down to the foothills without any injuries.

The rescued tourists have been identified as Parth Pohankar, Revati Hirade, Shantanu Ghanekar, Shubhada Ghanekar, Swanand Ghanekar, Shrikar Ghanekar, Aditya Pohankar, Reva Pohankar, Sunil Deshpande and Shrikant Lelangekar.