HUBBALLI: A group of villagers in Yadur of Shivamogga district came to the rescue of a 27-year-old tourist who was stranded in an overflowing waterfall.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon at Abbi waterfalls, which is located at Hosanagara Taluk of Shivamogga. Nikhil, along with his family and friends, was enjoying the tumbling glory of Abbi falls when owing to a heavy downpour at the fall's catchment area, the water current increased.
While the other tourists managed to get out, Nikhil started skidding down further. Navin, a family member who managed to get out, screamed for help.
Hearing the tourists scream, villagers rushed to the site with ropes.
Four youths tied the rope around themselves and ventured down the fall to save Nikhil. They managed to reach him, who was then holding on to a rock, tied the rope him and pulled him to safety.
All the 12 tourists who had come from Bengaluru returned after thanking the villagers.
“The tourists were panicking after five of their family members could not come out of the falls. Navin was stranded for more than one hour till help reached. He was completely drenched and was unable to move. We asked him to tie the rope along his waist tightly so that we can pull him to safety. Some of us held the rope till the end and pulled Nikhil,” said Veeresh, a villager from Yadur village.
The Abbi waterfall flows in full glory with a drop of about 200 meters during monsoon which makes it dangerous for tourists to venture into the falls.
In a similar incident, four tourists had drowned in Uttar Kannada district after the stream they were playing in witnessed flash floods. “Early this month, a group of tourists were stranded in a temple at Kalattagiri waterfalls in Chikkamgaluru. They too were rescued by the locals. Its risky to go near waterfalls during monsoon without local knowledge,” said a villager.