Missing 75-year-old woman rescued from abandoned water reservoir in Thrissur

Thrissur: A 75-year-old woman, who had been missing for two days, was rescued after falling into a 35-foot-deep abandoned water reservoir inside the campus of Government Medical College Thrissur.

The incident is believed to have occurred on Friday night, when Leela, a native of Kurumbilavu in Pazhuvil, accidentally slipped and fell into the unused structure, which has remained defunct for nearly two decades due to construction flaws.

She was discovered on Saturday morning by a passerby who spotted the dark colours of her clothing amid thick vegetation inside the reservoir. On closer inspection, he found the elderly woman lying among the bushes and immediately alerted the Medical College police.

Notably, Leela was wearing a red saree and a green blouse at the time.

A police team led by Sub-Inspector R Rajesh rushed to the spot and carried out a rescue operation by climbing down into the reservoir using ropes. With assistance from others, Leela was safely brought up.

According to police, she was conscious and repeatedly cried out for help when rescuers reached her. Fortunately, the presence of dense undergrowth cushioned her fall, preventing serious injuries. She was later admitted to the Medical College Hospital for observation.

Police said a missing person complaint had been filed two days earlier by her family, who later arrived at the hospital and identified her.

The rescue team included Civil Police Officers Ramesh Chandran, Sreejith and Abhay Ghosh, under the leadership of Sub-Inspector Rajesh.