COIMBATORE: A 29-year-old man, who fell into a 150-feet gorge from the cliff at Needle Rock Viewpoint at Oosimalai Valley in Nilgiris district, was rescued by Army personnel from the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) of Wellington, with help from fire and rescue personnel, on Friday.
The man fell into the gorge on Thursday and was found immovable with multiple broken bones in the back, hip, chest and arm.
Interestingly, a 29-year-old Woman Medical Officer, Major Kavitha Vasupalli, a Vashisht Seva Medal awardee from MRC, went into the deep gorges to provide medical assistance to the victim, Sivagurunathan, and played a key role in the rescue operation.
Sivagurunathan, a native of Thiruporur in Chengalpattu district, was working as a manager at a textile showroom in Coimbatore. He went alone for sightseeing to the Needle Rock View Point on Thursday evening. He allegedly crossed the safety line and accidentally slipped and fell into a 150-foot deep valley while taking a selfie, said sources.
Sivagurunathan managed to inform his cab driver, who then alerted the forest department. Fire and rescue service personnel reached the spot and initiated a search. However, they returned as it was dark. Eventually, Army personnel were contacted to help with the rescue mission. Sivagurunathan was rescued around 3.30 am and then admitted to the Nilgiris Government Medical College Hospital. A team from MRC, under Lieutenant Colonel Chandan Mehta, spearheaded the operation.
Major Kavitha Vasupalli VSM, a medical officer directly involved in the rescue, told TNIE they received the call in the evening and reached the spot around 9.15 pm on Thursday. “It was difficult to locate the victim as the place was in a rugged terrain, with a high-risk altitude and poor visibility. The Army team established a 70-metre Tyrolean traverse line to rescue him as a vertical lift was not feasible for the uneven terrain,” she said.
“After reaching the spot where the victim was lying, we saw he was unable to move with multiple broken bones in the back, hip, chest, arm and pelvis. He was alive, but his pulse was dropping. I gave first aid to stabilise him. However, he was in a very critical condition where we could not move him easily. Based on my instructions, the rescue team shifted him into the stretcher and ascended the stretcher by the Tyrolean traverse line to a safe place. Shifting and taking him up to a safe spot without any shaking was a challenging task. OT staff Havildar Bharath gave cover until he reached the ambulance, and he was then handled by Second Medical Officer Captain Saravanakumar and nursing assistant Havildar Surya Prakash,” said Major Kavitha.
Sources said Sivagurunathan’s condition is stable.