The Kerala-based technician has been in the limelight ever since she went missing in a dense forest on April 2. A 36-year-old woman named GS Sharanya was found on Sunday, April 5, in the Tadiandamol hills of Kodagu district in Karnataka. The woman “somehow got lost” during the adventure trip, but was found in good health after an intensive search operation.
GS Sharanya, a native of Nadapuram in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, wandered for days in the wild forest with limited resources and a fading hope of contact.
GS Sharanya narrates how she survived alone in the dense forest
Recalling the ordeal, she said she only had a 500ml bottle of water and some snacks when she got lost and was unable to track down any of the group members she had trekked with. Her phone died when she said she tried to contact a colleague.
Without a mobile connection, she “walked around 6:45 p.m. the first day after losing her way. After that, I stayed in an open area near a stream because I couldn’t continue because of the dense forest.” Even in the following days, however, she did not lose hope and was determined to succeed against the odds.
“I got lost. I didn’t see anyone when I was coming down. I came to the left path but I didn’t find anyone,” GS Sharanya was quoted as saying by PTI. Hoping to overcome this difficult situation, she “kept walking around expecting to meet someone” in the following days.
According to GS Sharanya, fear never gripped her even though she was alone for days in a forest area believed to be frequented by elephants and amid occasional heavy rain. After being rescued, she addressed reporters and said, “I didn’t feel scared. I don’t know why,” with a confident smile.
GS Sharanya was part of a 10-member group that embarked on the trek on April 2. On the first day of the trek, she reached the Thadiyandamol trekking base around 7:00 AM.
Authorities were alerted after she did not return. Members of the Anti-Naxal Squad and the local tribal community were roped in to conduct a massive round-the-clock search operation involving nine teams including forest officials.
According to officials, Sharanya, who was staying with a private family in Kakkabe village, last contacted her on Thursday, April 2 and informed them that she had strayed.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan even wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to intensify search efforts and deploy additional personnel and advanced equipment, including drone thermal cameras, to find her.
The technique was eventually spotted by a group of locals in a remote patch of forest “where no one usually goes”. Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed that the woman from Kerala was found in good health.
