Indian couple stranded on hike in Norway shares how volunteers came to their rescue
What began as a scenic hike to one of Norway's most iconic viewpoints turned into a chilling emergency for Indian content creator Akash Banerjee and his wife, Nidhi, until a group of strangers stepped in like something out of a film.Hiking to Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, is on many travel bucket lists. But for Akash Banerjee and his wife, it became a reminder that nature does not always go as planned.advertisementOn their descent, roughly four kilometres from the nearest civilisation, Nidhi slipped and badly injured her ankle. The incident left the couple stranded in biting winds with rain closing in.
With no immediate help in sight, fellow hikers urged Banerjee to call 113, Norway's emergency number. He hesitated, unsure of what help would actually arrive in such a remote area. But what happened next left him stunned."Still shaking my head in disbelief," Banerjee wrote in a post on Instagram, adding, "Within minutes, they used my phone to track us and assured help was coming." True to their word, a rescue team reached the couple within the hour, equipped with a vacuum splint and a stretcher.The shock didn't end there. The team wasn't uniformed professionals, but ordinary Norwegians, from a land surveyor to a petroleum worker, volunteering their time through the Norwegian People's Aid, an NGO giving rescue support free of charge.advertisementThey stabilised Nidhi's leg and safely brought her down to base camp.Take a look at Akash's post here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Akash Banerjee (@akashbanerjee.in)Social media users poured in with appreciation in the comments section of the post. 'It's called sense of community and civic sense. Civic sense isn't just picking up garbage, it's having the compassion to be kind to everyone,' a user said, while another added, 'Beautiful country. Lovely, helpful people. So glad you got all the assistance you needed and more.'Akash Banerjee, still moved by the experience, called Norway one of the happiest nations for a reason. 'They didn't just rescue us, they restored faith in what it means to care for strangers,' he said.
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