Body of Kerala rappelling instructor who gave up own life jacket to save man in flood found

Kannur (Kerala): The body of a rappelling instructor who went missing after being swept away during a rescue operation at Meenthulli Islet in Cherupuzha has been recovered. The deceased has been identified as R Rajesh (36), a native of Kalliyoor in Thiruvananthapuram. His body was found on an islet in the middle of the river.

Rajesh was swept away by strong currents on Saturday, August 1, at around 5 pm while rescuing a man stranded on Meenthulli Islet, located between the Karnataka forest and the Karyangad River. The accident occurred as he was returning with the rescued man, Benny, who had been isolated on the islet. Just as they were about to reach the opposite bank, Rajesh lost his grip on the rope and was carried away by the current.

Upon learning that someone was trapped on the islet, Rajesh, a rappelling instructor at Meenthulli Waterfalls, along with his friends Shibin and Jithin, swam across the overflowing river to reach the site equipped with life jackets and ropes. However, Rajesh gave away his own life jacket to Benny before attempting the return journey.

They were crossing the river by holding onto a rope when Rajesh lost his hold near the Kerala bank. Although he attempted to swim, he drowned.

Rajesh, who regularly conducted training sessions for adventure tourism entrepreneurs, was an expert swimmer. It is suspected that severe cold cramp may have impaired his ability to swim to safety.