Maharashtra: Man Rescued Alive After 200-Foot Fall Into Ambenali Ghat Gorge During Night Operation

Navi Mumbai, June 23: A young man who plunged nearly 200 feet into a deep gorge near Mettale Waterfall in the Ambenali Ghat was rescued alive during a challenging late-night operation carried out jointly by the Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team, Mahabaleshwar Trekkers and Mahabaleshwar Police.

The rescue, conducted amid darkness, dense fog and rain-soaked terrain, is being described by volunteers as one of the most remarkable operations undertaken in the gorge.

Rescue team members said it was the first time they had successfully brought out alive a person who had fallen from a depth of nearly 200-230 feet in the valley.

Fall Into Gorge Triggers Rescue Operation

The incident occurred at around 10.45 p.m. on June 20 when the Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team received a distress call from the Ambenali Ghat road connecting Mahabaleshwar and Poladpur.

According to rescuers, a passerby witnessed the man, who had stepped aside from the road to relieve himself, lose his balance and fall into the valley beyond Mettale Waterfall. The witness immediately alerted his friend, rescue volunteer Aniket Wagdare.

"One of our team members descended into the gorge with a torch and located the victim. He was injured and unable to speak properly. The only word he could utter was 'Atul'," Wagdare said.

Without wasting time, members of the rescue team rushed to the accident site carrying technical rescue equipment. Upon reaching the spot, they conducted a preliminary assessment and informed Mahabaleshwar Police Station, as police personnel had not yet arrived at the scene.

After officers from Mahabaleshwar Police reached the location and provided the necessary instructions, rescuers established a rope rescue system and began descending into the valley.

The operation proved particularly difficult due to heavy moisture in the air, dense fog, poor visibility and slippery soil caused by recent rainfall.

Victim Brought Out Alive

Following a brief search, the victim was located alive but injured. Members of the Mahabaleshwar Trekkers Team soon joined the operation to assist in the extraction. Rescuers then secured the injured man in a stretcher and used technical rope rescue techniques to bring him back to the road above.

The extraction required tremendous physical effort as rescuers navigated steep, rain-soaked slopes and unstable ground. After nearly two-and-a-half hours of painstaking work, the teams successfully brought the victim out of the gorge at around 1.30 a.m.

The injured man was subsequently shifted to the Rural Hospital in Mahabaleshwar for treatment. He was conscious and his condition was reported to be stable.

Rescuers Call It A Milestone

Rescue volunteers said the operation held special significance for the team. Since the beginning of 2026, the Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team has participated in several rescue and recovery missions in the Ambenali Ghat area, many of which involved retrieving bodies from deep ravines.

Over the past three months alone, the team has responded to five incidents at different locations, rescuing five people alive and recovering 11 bodies. This was the first rescue operation in the Ambenali gorge this year in which a victim was found alive after such a deep fall.

"The successful rescue brought immense satisfaction and joy to all team members, as saving a life in such difficult conditions is the ultimate reward for every rescuer," Ajit Jadhav, founder, Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team, said.

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