This Tamil Nadu nurse zip-lined across Wayanad river to save 35 lives

In the aftermath of a devastating landslide in Kerala’s Wayanad district on July 30, a bridge in the Mundakkai-Chooralmalai region collapsed, leaving dozens stranded on an island. With access cut off, a daring rescue unfolded using a zip-line.
The hero who stepped up to the challenge was A Sabeena, a nurse from Gudalur town in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district. For five days, the 40-year-old zip-lined across the raging Chaliyar river, saving 35 lives.
“It was 11am on July 30, when I got a call from my colleagues at the NGO where I work, saying the Kerala govt needed nurses in Wayanad,” says Sabeena, who received the Kalpana Chawla Award for daring and courageous enterprise during Thursday’s Independence day celebrations, along with a cash citation of `5 lakh.
The moment she got the call, Sabeena packed her bags, travelled 70km to Wayanad, braving heavy rain, winds, and knee-deep sludge and reached the landslide-ravaged area at 11am. “I had seen footage of the destruction, of bodies strewn everywhere and houses getting washed away but that did not stop me. I wanted to do what I could to help.”
When she got there, Sabeena found that people were stuck on the other side of the river and there was no way to reach them for medical aid. With currents being too strong for rescuers to swim across, the national disaster response force of Kerala had built a zipline across the river.
“About 100 women nurses were doing various tasks but the NDRF forces wanted only male nurses to zip-line, but no one was available. Also, the women were too scared because of the fierce current,” says Sabeena. “I told them I would cross over. From the moment I reached there, my only thought was saving lives. I did not think about my own anymore.”
Five minutes later, wearing a raincoat, Sabeena was strapped to the zip-line. “It took two minutes to cross the river. It was spine-chilling because of the raging waters beneath me.” From the zip-line, says Sabeena, she saw bodies being swept away by the floods. “I just closed my eyes and prayed as I went across,” says Sabeena. Once she reached the other side, she treated people who had been bitten by snakes, wounded in the landslide, and with fever.
Over five days, Sabeena ziplined across the river 10 times. She would reach the island at 11am, offer medical aid, and return at 5pm. “We helped 35 people on the island with medical treatment. The NDRF forces managed to bring them back using the zip-line. Later, the bridge was filled up with mud and made accessible.” There was no electricity and communication lines were down, says Sabeena. Only one house was not damaged and all 30 people had to use the restrooms there. “Only on the third day did rescuers start taking people back across the river as the water had receded a little.”
Sabeena’s act of bravery came into the spotlight only a few days ago, when volunteers from her village began circulating videos of her zip-lining on social media. “The post went viral and reached Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin who invited me to the secretariat to honour me. It all happened just a few days ago and I am so happy about getting this award from the chief minister,” says Sabeena, who also speaks fluent Malayalam, making her connect with locals. “I believe everybody has to join hands during disasters irrespective of differences of language, caste, class and religion.”
Sabeena, a single mom, says what overwhelms her more, now, is her daughter’s WhatsApp status. “For the last few days, my daughter’s status read, ‘There’s no one in this world braver than my mom’. Seeing this gives me so much joy,” says Sabeena. Her daughter Shifna, a nursing student, says she is proud of her mother. “I think this is the biggest lesson she has taught me, that humanity should always be the top priority.”
Email your feedback with name and address to southpole.toi @timesofindia.com