COIMBATORE: Seven devotees who lost their way while trekking through the dense Palamalai forest area in Erode were rescued by the forest department.

The devotees, from Nasiyanur, had visited the Sitheswarar Temple atop Palamalai Hills and were trekking down after offering prayers when they took a wrong route and became stranded in the forest on Sunday night.

With darkness setting in, the group was left stranded in an area inhabited by wild animals. They were unable to make phone calls for some time due to poor mobile network coverage in the forest.

The devotees eventually managed to contact the police control room and alert authorities. Acting on the information, forest department personnel entered the forest, traced the group, and brought all seven to safety after several hours of searching. Palamalai Hills, located along the Erode-Salem district border, is inhabited by wild animals.

The incident comes a year after 36 people from Pallipalayam were similarly stranded inside the Palamalai forest. They were rescued after spending two days in the forest.