Theni, Mar 13: Ten trekkers were killed and 17 others sustained burn injuries, few of them seriously in a deadliest forest fire at Kolukkumalai Hills in Kurangani forest area in Western Ghats in Southern district of Theni in Tamil Nadu.
Official sources said the Garud Commandoes of Indian Air Force recovered nine bodies from the raging forest in helicopters and brought them to the government medical college hospital at Theni this morning, while one of the injured woman trekker succumbed at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai, this evening.
Of the injured, ten people with second and third-degree burns were undergoing treatment at burns ward in GRH, while the remaining people were getting treatment in private hospitals.
The condition of four patients in GRH is highly critical, said it’s Dean Dr.D.Maruthu Pandian.
State health secretary J.Radhakrishnan told newsmen after inspecting the facilities being given for the burn victims at GRH that efforts were on to save the lives of trekkers, who have been admitted with severe burn injuries. We are taking all efforts to prevent mortality. Specialists from neighbouring Tiruchirapalli and Thoothukudi districts were attending to the patients. The victims are being provided with collagen treatment and are on antibiotics, he added.
Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami condoled the death of ten people in the forest fire and announced a solatium of Rs four lakh each to the families of those who were killed in the forest fire. The people who suffered serious burn injuries will be provided Rs one lakh, while those with mild injuries will get Rs 50,000 as compensation.
He also ordered a full-fledged probe into the forest fire tragedy to unravel the facts on how the fire spread.
Expressing deep grief over the tragedy, Mr.Palaniswami said the state government had carried out rescue and relief operations on a war footing with the assistance of Central government. He said rules were in place for entering the reserve forests for trekking expeditions, but the trekking team caught in the fire tragedy had undertaken the expedition without the mandatory permission from the forest officials. The security cover in the forest will be heightened to prevent such incidents, he said.
DMK Working President M.K.Stalin, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, PMK Founder Dr.S.Ramadoss, former AIADMK leader T.T.V.Dhinakaran among leaders of various political parties condoled the death of trekkers in the forest fire.
