Nayagarh, May 6: A 12-year-old boy was rescued on Wednesday after a gruelling nine-hour operation when his head got stuck between rocks while collecting honey in Odisha’s Nayagarh district.

The minor, identified as Shibu Pradhan from Gajendrapalli village under Odagaon police station limits, had gone to a local cave at Chorkhol to collect honey when the incident occurred. During the process, his head became trapped inside a narrow rock crevice, leaving him stranded.

On being alerted by other youths who had accompanied him, the personnel from Odagaon Fire Station rushed to the spot and later sought assistance from Nayagarh and Bhubaneswar fire units. After nearly nine hours of continuous and careful effort, the teams managed to safely extricate the boy.

Following the rescue, Shibu was shifted to Nayagarh District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. His condition is reported to be stable.

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Odisha Fire Services DG Sudhanshu Sarangi said, “We received information about the incident early in the morning. The Odagaon fire station team was the first responder, following which the Nayagarh fire station was alerted, and the DFO from Puri also joined the operation."

He added, "The rescue involved two major risks. Firstly, there were large and heavy rocks that could have shifted and endangered the child if machinery had been used in a hurried manner. Secondly, a python was present inside the cave, adding to the complexity of the situation. It was a highly challenging operation. However, I am proud of our Fire Service personnel, who handled the situation with utmost precision. Both risk factors were carefully neutralised through technical measures, and the boy was rescued safely.”