Tamil Nadu forest officials rescue mother, child from raging waterfall; watch viral video here

The video of a heroic rescue operation carried out by the forest officials of Tamil Nadu has gone viral on social media and is being lauded by internet users. The forest officials rescued a woman and her child who were both caught amidst raging waters and were trapped due to a flash flood at Anaivari Muttal waterfalls in the Kallavarayan Hills.

The incident occurred near Attur in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu. Praising the bravery of officers, Chief Minister MK Stalin shared the viral footage on his Twitter account.

The chief minister tweeted that the courageous act of officials is commendable for saving the mother and child.

In the two-minute video, a woman is seen clutching her baby and sitting on a rock near gushing waters. The forest officials use a rope to reach the lady and very carefully, they first take her baby and climb upwards. Other officials then help the woman to climb upwards and both the daughter and mother are rescued safely.

It is reported that two other individuals too climbed to help the woman, along with the forest officials. Several people can be seen standing on the other side of the waterfall, screaming and asking the men to not climb as they might fall.

The viral video ends with the woman and her child are rescued. The two men fall into the water due to losing their balance. However, it is reported that they are safe as they managed to swim to the other side of the river.

The Forest Officer of Salem District, K Gowtham said that no death or injury was reported. He shared that rainfall happens in the Karmandurai region, which is on the opposite side of the hill. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for the floodwaters to reach the Attur region and people were unaware of the waters reaching this region.

Gowtham said that this happens every year but this time, the water’s quantity was more as compared to previous years and people got trapped on the side of the fall as there was no path. He added that the forest officials were trained in rescuing people through ropes and hence they managed to vacate people safely.

The Anaivari waterfall was reopened two months ago after COVID -19 restrictions were eased. However, the Divisional Forest Officer said that closure of Anaivari Muttal waterfalls has been ordered owing to the weather conditions now.