Are you an outdoorsy person? Do love trekking? Well sorry to disappoint you but trekking has been banned in the forests of Kerala.
The Kerala government today temporarily banned trekking in forest areas in the state after nine people were killed in the wildfire at Kurangani hills in neighboring Tamil Nadu.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, a statement issued by the chief minister’s office said.
As many as nine people, who were part of a trekking expedition were killed in the forest fire at Kurngani hills near Theni district, about 500 km from Chennai, yesterday.
The State Forest Department has been directed to take all necessary precautions to prevent forest fires, the statement quoted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as saying. He added that the Authority was closely monitoring the situation.
The Idukki district collector and police superintendent were given instructions to assist the rescue operations undertaken by Tamil Nadu officials immediately when it was known that the fire had broken out in Theni district on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, Vijayan said.
Personnel of Kerala Fire Force, state police, and the forest department took part in the rescue and relief operations, he added.
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WHAT HAPPENED IN THENI FORESTS
A 36-member team — 24 from Chennai, including 23 women, and 12 from Tirupur and Erode districts, including three women and three children– on a trekking expedition had reached Kurangani hills on March 10.
At least nine people died in a forest fire in Kurangani hills in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, Theni district collector M Pallavi Baldev said on Monday.
Six of the nine deceased trekkers were from Chennai while the rest were from Tiruppur. The deceased have been identified as Subha, Hemalatha, Punitha, Akila; Arun, Vipin Dhivya, Vivek, and Tamilselvan.
Forest officials said the trekkers tried to take refuge inside a dried up stream but the dried grass in the stream quickly caught fire. The district collector said some of them fell into a pit.
After massive rescue operations led by the India Air Force team, 21 people were rescued. State health secretary J Radhakrishnan said eight trekkers had been sent to the circuit house. There were all treated at the Kurangani primary health center before being were sent to the Bodi General Hospital.
Five people with critical injuries were sent to Theni Medical College Hospital, six were sent to Madurai Medical College and three others were taken to a private medical college. “All of them are critical but are being treated by experts,” he said.
Plastic surgeons and emergency management experts from Chennai and doctors from Trichy were sent to Madurai and Theni hospitals to treat the injured trekkers.
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