Home / Disasters and Accidents / Selfie Scare: Tourist Plummets 150ft, Saved After Heroic Rescue
Selfie Scare: Tourist Plummets 150ft, Saved After Heroic Rescue
21 Mar
Summary
- A tourist fell 150ft into a gorge near Needle Rock View Point.
- The rescue operation lasted for 10 hours and involved multiple agencies.
- The tourist was attempting to take a selfie when the accident occurred.
A harrowing 10-hour rescue operation concluded early Friday, saving a 28-year-old tourist who had fallen into a 150ft-deep gorge near the Needle Rock View Point in Gudalur. The incident unfolded on Thursday afternoon when Sivagurunathan, visiting from Chengalpattu, attempted to capture a selfie on the cliff's edge. He slipped and plunged into the chasm, sustaining injuries and losing consciousness.
Upon regaining awareness later that evening, Sivagurunathan contacted his hotel, leading to an alert to forest and fire and rescue services. These initial responders secured him with a stretcher but could not extract him. Assistance was then requested from the military cantonment in Wellington. A coordinated effort by joint rescue teams eventually reached and safely retrieved the tourist from the gorge in the early hours of Friday.
Sivagurunathan was immediately transported to Ooty Medical College and Hospital for medical attention. The complex rescue was overseen by Nilgiris collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, district superintendent of police N S Nisha, and district forest officer P Devaraj, highlighting a significant inter-agency response to the emergency.
