KOLLAM: A tourist from Tamil Nadu was killed and another injured in a flash flood following heavy rain at Kumbhavurutty waterfalls, a major tourist hotspot on the Achankovil-Sengottai road in Kollam. The waterfalls are part of the Manalar-Kumbhavurutty eco-tourism project.
Kumaran, 50, of Madurai was caught in the gushing water during the flash flood and suffered injuries on the head. He was taken to the Tenkasi taluk hospital where he was declared brought dead. Another tourist, Kishore, 27, from Erode in Tamil Nadu, was also injured on the head after being caught in the flash flood. He was taken to Punalur taluk hospital and discharged later.
Seventy tourists were at the spot when the flash flood occurred around 4pm. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sunil Sahadevan said a sudden heavy rain triggered the flood. Forest officials, police and residents conducted a joint rescue operation to take the tourists to safety.
“As it was a holiday, there were more than 70 tourists at the site. The rescue operation was difficult initially, but we successfully conducted it with the support of the police and local people,” Sunil said.
Expressing grief over the incident, Forest Minister A K Saseendran said the government will take necessary steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Expecting heavy rain in the coming days, the district administration has banned tourist activities in Kanyar, Achankovil and Kallar Forest zone until further orders.
Waterfalls opened despite objection
Kollam: Despite strong objections from residents, the Achankovil Kumbhavurutty waterfalls was opened to tourists a few weeks ago after a gap of five years. Some residents cited the lack of safety measures as the prime reason for the mishap.
Earlier, two tourists from Tamil Nadu had lost their lives in the waterfalls during flash floods. “Had there been adequate safety measures, this unfortunate incident could have been avoided. Forest officials have deployed untrained personnel at this zone who are not equipped to prevent such incidents,” said alleged Biju P, former block development chairman of Aryankavu panchayat.