Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Two tourists died after being swept away in flash floods at the main Courtallam waterfalls in Tamil Nadu’s Tenkasi district on Wednesday evening following heavy rains in the Western Ghats.
The two women were identified as V Malliga (46) of Perambur, Chennai, and R Kalavathi (55) of Panruti , Cuddalore. They were part of a group of tourists who were bathing at the main waterfalls around 6 pm on Wednesday when the flash floods hit. While five tourists were swept away, three were rescued by locals, the police and fire and rescue personnel.
Officials said that a large number of tourists frequent Courtallam in June and July, the peak season for tourists here. There was a large crowd at the main waterfalls on Wednesday and videos of the flash floods were shared on social media as well.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Tenkasi District Collector P Akash said they are holding discussions with the public works department on making the area more secure for tourists and preventing such incidents in the future. “We are working on improving the safety aspects,” he said, adding that they have stopped visitors from venturing into the main waterfalls on Thursday due to heavy flow of water.
“A sudden cloud of water appeared in full force yesterday and five people got washed away. The authorities alerted the tourists through speakers, but due to the force of the water, the tourists who were a bit old were unable to swiftly move to a safer area. Locals and other police and fire rescue personnel swung into action and were able to rescue three of them. The two women had trauma injuries, they had hit a rock, and unfortunately they could not be saved. A solatium of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased women will be provided,” he said.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
