Chennai: Nine trekkers, who were part of an online trekking group, have died in a forest fire on the Kurangani Hills in Tamil Nadu, the District Collector said on Monday.
A rescue operation with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters has been underway since Sunday, March 11. A total of 27 trekkers were rescued from the fire in the picturesque Theni district, some 520 km from here.
The trekking group of 8 men, 25 women and 3 children had camped at a place up in the hills on Saturday night. They were supposed to return on Sunday.
Earlier, in a tweet, Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan expressed grief and shock at the loss of life of those who were caught in the blaze. He said that he was praying for the fast recovery of those who were injured and thanked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for deploying the IAF team to aid in the rescue effort.
According to a Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services official, the operation was expected to be over by Monday afternoon.
Speaking to IANS, District Collector Pallavi Baldev said the operations were continuing and the trekkers were being brought down by the rescue team members.
A temporary helipad has been set up at the Bodi foot hills. The injured have been admitted in hospitals in Madurai and Theni, she said.
State Health Secretary J.Radhakrishnan said six of the rescued admitted in a Madurai hospital have suffered serious burn injuries.
The IAF commando team had flown in from the Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore late on Sunday and climbed up the hills.
Sitharaman had confirmed on Sunday that the commandos deployed in the rescue mission would carry medicines and provide medical assistance on spot.
Having access to advanced communication facilities, the IAF team was also deputed to check the landing facility for helicopters.
They decided on the best ways to evacuate those stuck on the hill, including the injured.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Baldev had said that 24 trekkers from the Chennai Trekking Club and 12 from Erode and Tiruppur had gone up the Kurangani Hills.
The adventure was part of the Woman’s Day activity that was celebrated on Thursday and is alleged to have been organised by the Chennai Trekking Club (CTC), an online group of over 40,000 members.
According to the website, the CTC is a non-profit, volunteer group which organises outdoor sports, environmental conservation and social activities throughout the year on weekends and weekday mornings.
It is not known whether the group has trekking experts who know the topography and other characteristics of the different hills and who can guide trekkers.
A Tamil Nadu Forest Department official had said that the organisers had not obtained any permission for the trekking mission.
