Gujarat: 70 people stranded at Pavagadh foothill rescued

VADODARA: Around 70 people who were stranded near Khuniya Mahadev waterfall in Pavagadh on Sunday afternoon were rescued by local police.
The rescued persons, most of whom were tourists, were stranded as the water level in a ravine suddenly increased due to heavy rains in the area. The town housing the Unesco-declared World Heritage Site had witnessed heavy rush of tourists since Sunday morning due to pleasant weather and weekend.
Police said that due to heavy rains in the town in the afternoon, the water flowing down the Pavagadh hill had increased. The fast-flowing water led to a rise in the level of water in a ravine on the foothills. “When we received the message that 70 people were stuck due to the gushing waters, I informed the disaster management branch for help and reached the spot along with other cops and a rope,” said sub-inspector P N Singh of Pavagadh police station.
A rope was tied across the ravine and on the downstream side, cops stood holding the rope. “One after the other, some 70 people were able to cross the ravine. Later, we went till the waterfall to confirm that nobody was left behind,” Singh said.
In the past too, some 30 to 40 tourists were rescued from the same spot as water had swelled due to heavy rain.