PALAKKAD: A 40-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu died after she lost her footing and fell to the bottom of the Palakuzhy waterfalls near Kizhakkenchery— around 50 km from Palakkad —on Sunday afternoon, even as the authorities are investigating how a tourist group entered the area despite a ban on visits to waterfalls and hilly destinations amid heavy monsoon rain in the district.
The deceased has been identified as Bhanupriya, wife of Sivakumar who works in IT sector in Bengaluru. According to the Vadakkenchery police, she was part of a five-member group that visited the waterfalls around noon.
The accident occurred around 12.30 pm when Bhanupriya slipped from the second tier of the waterfall and plunged into the gorge about 200 feet below.
Personnel from the fire and rescue services recovered her body after a difficult operation. Another member of the group, Bharath, who attempted to rescue Bhanupriya, also fell into the water. He was rescued by a specialised Rope Rescue Team.
The police said the five persons involved – three women and two men – are neighbours residing near the Tamil Church at Viswasapuram near Saravanampatti in Coimbatore.
11 dead in Kerala rain
Though Kerala had a respite from heavy rain for most of Sunday, floodwaters are yet to recede completely in several parts of the state. As many as 11 people have lost their lives so far, and a total of 30 houses have been destroyed and 293 partially damaged in the landslides. Around 273 relief camps are operational in the state, sheltering 7,674 people. Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for all districts on Monday, and isolated heavy showers are expected across the state on the day.