Team Herald
PANJIM: A parent of one of the 47 students who got stranded at the Charavane waterfall on Monday, said that they were actually rescued by the fellow students and teachers, along with forest guards. The firemen and police came much later, when the rescue operation was already over, the parent alleged.
However, Valpoi Station Fire Officer (SFO) Santosh Gawas, refuted the allegations made by D’Silva and reiterated that it was a joint rescue operation done by Fire personnel, police, forest guards and locals.
Forty-seven students and five teachers from St Francis Xavier Higher Secondary School Siolim found themselves stranded at Charvane waterfall during a trek, due to a sudden rise in water levels caused by heavy rains on Monday.
“Students and teachers were stuck due to heavy rains and sudden rise in the water in the stream. But they did not panic.When the water levels receded, they crossed the stream since they were equipped with ropes and other rescue gear,” Sunny D’Silva, a parent from Siolim, said.
According to him, two forest guards assisted them.
He added, “Thus, the news that firemen and the police rescued them is not factual They reached after the students had crossed the stream. The news that they were still stranded when the students had got into their bus safely, created a panic among parents back home in Siolim,” D’Silva said.
To support his claim, he forwarded a video where the students were seen holding onto a road and crossing the stream, after the water subsided.
However the Valpoi Fire Station Officer refuted this version “Even firemen from the village, who were off duty, also joined the rescue operations. When we reached the spot at 3.44 pm on Monday, all 47 students and five teachers were stranded and were unable to come as they were tired. We, along with Forest guards and locals, rescued them,” Gawas said.