The Odisha fire service pulled off an unusual rescue on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), safely extricating a minor whose head and hand were wedged in a narrow forest crevice. In a twist straight out of a wildlife thriller, a python that was nearby did not harm the boy as rescuers laboured for seven anxious hours.

The incident occurred in Kanipada forest in Nayagarh district. Sibha Pradhan, a minor, and other residents of Baunsagadia village were trying to collect honey from a wild hive lodged in a narrow gap between two large boulders.

“In the morning, I stretched my hand into the crevice to reach the hive, but somehow my head and hand got stuck. I couldn’t pull myself through the gap between the rocks,” Sibha said after being rescued.

Specialised team

When villagers found him trapped and struggling, they alerted the fire service stations at Odagaon and Nayagarh. However, the remote location made it difficult to transport heavy equipment to the site, prompting authorities to call in a specialised team from Bhubaneswar.

“The rescue was both unusual and technically challenging. We couldn’t move heavy vehicles close to the spot. Compounding the difficulty was the presence of the python. It was a sheer blessing that the snake did not harm the boy,” said Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General of Fire Services.

After more than seven hours of painstaking effort, fire personnel used a heavy-duty hydraulic jack to slightly shift the boulder, enabling them to extricate the boy. Throughout the operation, Siba was kept calm, counselled continuously, and given water to keep him stable. Soon after his rescue, the boy was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him out of danger.