A 60-year-old man had a narrow escape after getting stuck upside down nearly 40 feet above the ground while climbing a coconut tree in Cherthala, Kerala, on Saturday morning.

The incident happened around 8 am at Manaveli in Cherthala when Varghese, a resident of Chakkarakulam, was climbing a coconut tree at a house using a climbing machine. A wire tied to the tree snapped, causing the tree to sway violently. Varghese lost balance and got trapped, hanging head-down with his leg stuck in the machine.

Unable to move and staring at the ground below, Varghese remained suspended in the air for over 30 minutes, triggering panic. The house owner immediately alerted the Cherthala Fire and Rescue Station.

Fire officer S. Sreekumar led the rescue team to the spot. Firefighter Legy C Sekhar climbed the tree using a ladder but found Varghese stuck even higher. Holding on to the tree trunk, he climbed further and managed to reach him. As soon as Varghese’s leg came free from the machine, he slipped and fell onto Legy, who tightly held him mid-air.

Another firefighter, Unni, climbed up to assist, and together they carefully brought Varghese down, while the team below spread a safety net.

Varghese was later taken to Cherthala Taluk Hospital for treatment. He said he would have fallen onto the road below if his leg had not been stuck in the machine and credited the fire force for saving his life.