COIMBATORE: A 36-year-old man died while he was trekking down the Velliangiri hill on Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Shiva of Palayanur village in Tiruvannamalai who lived in Bangalore and ran a business there.
Police said, Shiva, his brother and two friends climbed the hills on Monday night. They reached the seventh hill on Tuesday morning and after worshipping in the temple, started to trek down.
When they were between the second and third hills around 5 am, Shiva allegedly collapsed.The people who accompanied him brought him to the foothill. An ambulance that was stationed in the foothills checked Shiva and declared him dead already. The body was sent to CMCH for postmortem. Alandurai Police registered a case. Preliminary investigation said Shiva had a heart ailment and underwent treatment two years ago. Shiva is survived by his wife and three sons.
Speaking to TNIE, N Jayaraj, District Forest Officer (DFO) said, “After several people died in the hills last year, a meeting was conducted by the district collector before the commencement of trekking season this year (February-April) and several measures that are required to prevent deaths were discussed . People with health issues were advised not to under take the trek. We have stationed our staff at the foothills and they educate people about this . We appeal the public to follow it strictly.”
According to sources, nine people died while trekking in the mountains last year. This year, trekking was opened on February 1.