Trekkers after being brought to safety. (Express Photo)A LANDSLIDE was reported on the approach road to Bhimashankar Temple in Pune early on Monday. While there were no casualties, a road had to be partially closed for traffic, officials said. The landslide was reported around 4 am in Pokhari Ghat area. Officials from the district administration and PWD removed the debris blocking the road even as police personnel were roped in to manage the traffic flow.
Bhimashankar Temple, located in Bhimashankar forest range in Khed taluka, is 110 kilometers from Pune city. It is a key pilgrimage centre and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas — revered temples of Lord Shiva — in the country.
Meanwhile, a group of six trekkers from Thane, who had lost their way in the dense forest of Bhimashankar in Pune district amid heavy rains and dense fog on Sunday evening, were rescued by the Pune Rural police with the help of local residents late in the night. The trekkers, all men, are in their 20s.
As per the information from officials of Ghodegaon police station under Pune Rural jurisdiction, they received a call from the owner of an eatery in Bhimashankar forest that some trekkers had lost their way in the forest. A team from Ghodegaon police station led by Inspector Jeevan Mane was dispatched to the area.
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Inspector Mane said, “We learnt that six trekkers from Ulhasnagar in Thane had started their journey from Murbad area. They began via Bailghat and entered the Bhimashankar forest. Around 5pm, they lost their way. Our force was anyway deployed in and around the temple for crowd control duties because of Ashadhi Ekadashi, and it being a Sunday. Our team searched the area with the help of locals who know the terrain well. We now know that once they realised they were lost, the trekkers themselves called a local eatery for help and its owner, in turn, informed us.”
Inspector Mane added, “Fortunately, they were able to get cell phone signals and could send us their location. We were carrying basic medical aid kits and dry food items. Based on the location, we tracked them down around 10pm with the help of locals and brought them to safety.”
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