Personnel from the National Disaster Relief Force stationed at Arakkonam have rushed to Hogenakkal to rescue four persons trapped on a tree surrounded by water.
Around 1.30 pm on Sunday, Mathappan from Bandahalli, who was bathing by the bank of the Cauvery near Uttamalai, was carried away by the river as the flow of water underwent a rise all of a sudden.
Six coracle operators - Pandi, Palanisamy, Gopal, Sagadevan, Muthu and Ramakrishnan - went in two coracles to rescue Mathappan. They were able to rescue him, but unfortunately, they also got trapped in the flooded and fast-flowing river.
After battling for more than one hour, Pandi, Palanisamy and Gopal were able to return to the bank, but the other four had to climb a tree in the river to save themselves. Till last reports came in, they were on the tree, surrounded by water.
The fire brigade tried to rescue them but failed. So the National Disaster ReliefForce personnel from Arakkonam were roped in to rescue them.
“We have arranged navy boats and asked for a helicopter to rescue the persons. We are confident of rescuing them,” said District Revenue Officer Ramar, who is also in the area.
Villages Marooned
Three villages near Hogenakkal - Uttamalai, Billigundalu and Raasimanal - have been surrounded by water.
A large number of police personnel and Revenue Department officials have been deployed to evacuate people from low-lying areas.
District Collector K Vivekanandan has visited many villages to oversee the relief work.