Five children were rescued from a 300-feet hill in Mumbra Saturday early morning after they were trapped atop due to darkness. They had ventured into the hills on Friday evening to catch crabs. The incident occurred on the humps near Khadi machine dam road. The Mumbra fire department received a distress call around 8.30 pm on Friday. A joint rescue operation was launched by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force, and Mumbra fire brigade, which was completed by 4 am on Saturday.

A local activist from Mumbra said as the night fell, the children realised they were trapped and they started screaming for help. “It was after 6.30 pm when some locals, who went to play near the area, heard the kids scream. They were asking for help and claimed that they were eight to 12 years old. The locals then informed the police and other locals, after which the fire brigade reached the spot,” added the activist.