4 women washed away in floods in Nilgiris; 3 bodies retrieveda

TIRUCHY: Four women were washed away in a flash flood along the Kedarhalla stream in the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) late on Monday evening. The bodies of three women were retrieved and the search is on for the other.

It is said, Anaikkal Mariamman temple festival had been organised at Anaikatti village by the tribal people in which over 600 devotees in and around the village have been participating. It is celebrated during the Tamil month of Karthigai and on Monday, in view of deepam aradhanai, several devotees took part. After the ritual, the devotees were heading back home via a low-level bridge across the Kedarhalla River, one of the tributaries of the Moyar.

However, there was a flash flood, and four women were washed away. They were identified as Saroja (65), Vasuki (45), Vimala (35) and Suseela (56) all from Kavaratti village. Since there was a heavy flow of water, people accompanying them could not rescue them. Soon the people passed on the information to the fire and rescue personnel who rushed to the spot and initiated a rescue operation. But they could not trace them owing to the darkness and they stopped the search operation around 12.30 am.

Subsequently, the team resumed the search in the early hours of Tuesday and retrieved the bodies of Saroja, Vasuki and Vimala. A search is on for the other.