New Delhi (Sputnik): An Indian student who went missing during a trekking expedition from his college has been rescued after miraculously surviving eight days without any food and other essentials. Himanshu Ahuja was rescued by local youths a week after he lost his way in the mountainous jungles of the Triund trekking range near McLeod Ganj in Himachal Pradesh. He was part of a college excursion team of 40 students.
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After finding Himanshu missing from the group, the college filed a missing report with the police and the administration after which the rescue mechanism including the army and sniffer dogs were scrambled. Local youths also joined in after knowing about the situation, according to news reports.
"It was a miracle that Ahuja managed to survive in such harsh conditions. The temperature in the hills drops drastically in the evenings and there is also the threat of wild animals. He had no food, no sleeping bag and not even proper clothing", a member of the rescue team that traced Ahuja, Mahinder Bihan, told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
"I could not keep pace with them and was left behind. Trying to follow the group, I slipped down a slope and got a foot stuck near a water spring", Himanshu told the media.
Himanshu said he tried contacting his friends, but the cellphone he was carrying ran out of battery.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Santosh Patial of Himachal Pradesh told the media that Himanshu was found just below the Triund hilltop with a broken left foot.
Truind Trek is a popular adventure circuit for youngsters from India and abroad.
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After Himanshu went missing on 19 March, Delhi University students staged demonstrations demanding the timely rescue of their college mate.