DINDIGUL: A 33-year-old man from Chennai was killed, and five others were seriously injured after their car plunged nearly 1,000 feet into a gorge near Poombarai in Kodaikanal in the early hours of Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Mohamed Aidith (33) of Ellis Road, Triplicane. The injured — all his friends — were identified as Nobel (22), Harshad Ali Ahmed (28), Mohamed Kaif (23), Abrith (24), all from Chennai, and Hijaz Ahmed (29) from Tiruchy.
Police said the group, who had recently returned to Chennai from overseas due to the ongoing war, had travelled to Kodaikanal on a leisure trip. Mohamed Kaif, the car's owner, was driving.
Around 2.30 am, while heading towards Kookal, where they planned to stay, the car lost control near Palani View Point at Poombarai, rammed roadside barriers and plunged into a deep gorge. The impact killed Aidith on the spot, while the others sustained severe injuries.
On receiving information around 3.45 am, a team led by police inspector Vasanthakumar and fire officer Gopal rushed to the spot along with fire and rescue personnel. Battling darkness and difficult terrain, rescuers descended nearly 1,000 feet using ropes from the nearby Mahalakshmi temple area.
They found five people critically injured and one dead. After a prolonged operation lasting over two hours, all victims were brought up using ropes. The injured were rushed by 108 ambulances to the Kodaikanal Government Hospital and later referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai for advanced treatment.
Police have registered a case and are investigating the accident. The body of the deceased has been kept at the Kodaikanal Government Hospital for post-mortem.
The rescue effort drew praise from locals, as fire personnel risked their lives to carry out the operation in challenging conditions.