NILGIRIS: Four women devotees have washed away around 7.30 pm on Monday and at least 250 others were rescued between Monday 10 pm and midnight after a sudden surge in Kedarhalla stream submerged a ground-level bridge inside Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).
The devotees were returning after taking part in a Karthigai month pooja at Anaikkal Mariamman Temple inside the MTR when the flash flood submerged the 30-ft-long concrete bridge. Rescue teams were able to retrieve the bodies of M Vimala (35) B Saroja (65) and R Vasuki (45) only around 9.30 am on Tuesday as search operations were called off due to bad light on Monday night. A search is still on to locate the body of fourth victim S Suseela (56).
The victims, who were from Kadanad near Ooty, were trying to cross the bridge to reach their car after the pooja when the sudden flash flood swept them away, sources said. The three bodies recovered 3 km to 3.5 km downstream from the bridge stuck among boulders were taken to Ooty government hospital for postmortem on Tuesday.
A 50-member team of fire and rescue services personnel, forest staff, and police rescued 250 devotees with the help of local villagers. M Rajasekaran, Ooty tahsildhar, was monitoring the rescue operation.
‘Incessant rain led to surge in Kedarhalla stream’
Rajasekaran said incessant rain in Doddabetta, Chinna Coonoor and Thuneri led to the surge in the Kedarhalla stream. “Close to 1,000 devotees visited the temple 500 m from the stream.
About 250 were unable to cross the bridge because of the flood. The devotees say they hadn’t seen such a
tragedy in their lives,” he said. Collector S P Amrith said `4 lakh each to be given to deceased’s kin.