3-year-old stranded on 20-foot-high shed; Palakkad worker pulls off timely rescue

Palakkad: A three-year-old girl, who climbed onto the roof of a 20-foot-high shed in Alanallur, Palakkad, was rescued by a construction worker who spotted her just in time. The incident took place around 4 pm on Friday on the premises of a plastic sorting shed owned by a private company, where the girl and her migrant labourer parents live. A video of the rescue has since gone viral on social media.

Shihabudheen, 38, a native of Mannarkkad, told Onmanorama that he and his friends were about to leave on their bikes after completing concrete work when he noticed some movement on the rooftop.

"Initially, we thought it was a bird or an animal," he said. However, on looking closely, they realised that it was a child.

Without wasting any time, Shihabudheen climbed onto the shed, grabbed the girl, who appeared stunned, and brought her safely down.

"The whole incident happened within a minute. The moment I spotted the child, I climbed up without a second thought. She had reached the middle of the shed, and my biggest concern was that she might fall off the other side, where there is a 30-foot drop," he said. "The child's parents, who were at the premises, came running and were in tears," he said, adding that the child was completely safe and now in the care of her parents. 

Shihabudheen said he remained calm as he was used to climbing buildings as part of his construction work. "Besides, there was no time to be afraid at that moment," he added.

The shed is used to store and sort plastic waste collected by the Haritha Karma Sena, with several labourers involved in the process. "We suspect that the girl climbed onto the shed by stepping on the sacks of plastic waste piled up near it," he said.