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Theni Fire Updates: Tamil Nadu chief minister has ordered probe into the fire incident. He said that the trekking expedition did not have the necessary permission from the forest department. The search and rescue operations in Theni have reportedly been called off after all the trekkers were accounted. The Tamil Nadu government has said that the trekking team had 39 members and 36 of them were caught in the mishap. The official figures say nine are dead and 27 have been rescued. The whereabouts of three are unknown. The representative of the Chennai trekking club has been taken into custody by the police in Theni after the blaze killed nine trekkers. The Kerala government has decided to close down all wildlife sanctuaries for a safety audit, forest minister K Raju has said. He added that the sanctuaries will open only after all safety measures are ensured. The defence ministry said that the Indian Air Force has brought back 27 of the 36 trapped students in a coordinated search and resuce effort. Nine trekkers have died in a forest fire on the Kurangani Hills in Tamil Nadu, the District Collector said on Monday. A rescue operation with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters has been underway since Sunday. A total of 27 trekkers were rescued from the fire in picturesque Theni district, some 520 kilometre from Chennai. The trekking group of eight men, 25 women and three children had camped at a place up in the hills on Saturday night. They were supposed to return on Sunday. Earlier, in a tweet, Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan expressed grief and shock at the loss of life of those who were caught up in the blaze. The Minister said he was praying for the fast recovery of those who were injured. He also thanked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for deploying the IAF team in the rescue effort. According to a Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services official, the operation was expected to be over by Monday afternoon. [caption id=“attachment_4386341” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Rescue operations are underway after Theni fire tragedy. Firstpost/Naveen Nair[/caption] Speaking to IANS, District Collector Pallavi Baldev said the operations were continuing and the trekkers were being brought down by the rescue team members. A temporary helipad has been set up at the Bodi foot hills. The injured have been admitted in hospitals in Madurai and Theni, she said. The night climate was generally chilly while efforts were afoot to reach the stranded trekkers caught up in the blaze, the fire official added. State Health Secretary J.Radhakrishnan said six of the rescued admitted in a Madurai hospital have suffered serious burn injuries. The IAF commando team had flown in from the Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore late on Sunday and climbed up the hills. Sitharaman had confirmed on Sunday that the commandos deployed in the rescue mission would carry medicines and provide medical assistance on spot. Having access to advanced communication facilities, the IAF team was also deputed to check the landing facility for helicopter. They decided on the best ways to evacuate those stuck on the hill, including the injured. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Baldev had said that 24 trekkers from the Chennai Trekking Club and 12 from Erode and Tiruppur had gone up the Kurangani Hills. The adventure was part of the Woman’s Day activity that was celebrated on Thursday. A Tamil Nadu Forest Department official had said that the organisers had not obtained any permission for the trekking mission. With inputs from agencies
Theni forest fire updates: Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswamy orders probe, says trekking expedition lacked permission
Nine trekkers have died in a forest fire on the Kurangani Hills in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district, the District Collector said on Monday.
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Kerala police rescues three school children
The Kerala Police has rescued three school children from Theni forest fire from Munnar in Kerala, The News Minute reported. The police confirmed that the children were treated for minor burn injuries in the Munnar taluk hospital, the report added.
Kerala forest dept directed to take all precautions to prevent forest fires
The Kerala forest department has been directed to take all necessary precautions to prevent forest fires, a statement issued by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. The chief minister added that the authority was closely monitoring the situation.
Air Force completes rescue operations
The Air Force has stated that it has completed the rescue operations. After dousing a forest fire in a nearby area, the Air Force will stop the operation only as per the request and directions from the state civil administration, The Hindu reported.
Palaniswamy orders probe into the incident
Tamil Nadu chief minister Palaniswamy said the trekking expedition had been done without getting the necessary permission from the forest department. He said a detailed probe will be held into the accident.
WATCH: Visuals from the site
O Panneerselvam oversees relief efforts
Air Force choppers diverted for dousing recently reported forest fire: Defence PRO
Input from Naveen Nair
The Air Force choppers have been diverted from Kurangani hills to another area for dousing freshly reported forest fire, said the defence PRO.
Search and rescue operations in Theni called off
Input from Naveen Nair
Search and rescue operations in Theni have reportedly been called off. All the trekkers have been accounted for. Nine trekkers are dead and 27 have been rescued, official figures say. The three trekkers unaccounted for seem to have escaped unhurt
In Picture: Ongoing rescue operations
Input from Naveen Nair
Trekking organiser taken into custody
Input from Naveen Nair
Chennai trekking club’s representative has been taken into custody by police in Theni. The club had arranged the trekking at Kurangani Forests
The Tamil Nadu government has said that the trekking organisers had no official permission.
Rescue operations underway
Input from Naveen Nair
Trekking team reached Kurangani on 10 March
The team on a trekking expedition reached Kurangani hills on 10 March. The team included 25 women and three children, according to Theni District Collector Mariam Pallavi Baldev.
According to Baldev, the trekkers after staying overnight at an estate in Kozhukumalai started their return journey to the plains Sunday morning when they heard about the sudden forest fire and got separated while attempting to find a safe way. – PTI
In Picture: O Panneerselvam at the Theni govt hospital
Input from Naveen Nair
Official figures from Tamil Nadu govt
Input from Naveen Nair
Trekking team had 39 people
Caught in the mishap: 36
Rescued: 27
Dead: 9
Whereabouts unknown: 3
Kerala to close down all wildlife sanctuaries for safety audit
Input from Naveen Nair
Kerala forest minister K Raju has said that the state will close down all wildlife sanctuaries for safety audit.
Tamil Nadu govt not to allow trekkers, tourists in forests till May
Input from Naveen Nair
Tamil Nadu government will not allow entry of trekkers or tourists into forests till May due to extreme heat and likelihood of more forest fires.
Theni district collector Pallavi Badev meets children, who survived the fire
Input from Naveen Nair
Fire started at Kurangani Forests next to Bodinayakkanur district
Input from Naveen Nair
The fire started in Kurangani forests next to Bodinayakkanur municipality, which is 25 kilometres away from Theni district headquarters. It spread across the bordering forests of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Kerala govt bans trekking inside forests
The Kerala government has banned all trekking activities inside the forests until further orders following the Theni fire tragedy.
– Input from Naveen Nair
In Picture: Rescue operations underway
Image credit: Naveen Nair
IAF rescues 27 of the 36 trapped students, says defence ministry
The defence ministry tweeted that the Indian Air Force has rescued and brought back 27 of the 36 trapped students.
O Panneerselvam tweets images of rescue measures
16 Garuds trying to lift dead bodies to higher plain, says Nirmala Sitharaman
“16 Garuds walked up & reached there at 3 am. They rescued few people at night. At the moment, the garuds are trying to lift the dead bodies to a higher plain. 2 helicopters will bring the bodies down. One helicopter has doused the fire,” says Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Officials expect rescue ops to be over by Monday afternoon
According to a Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services official, the operation was expected to be over by Monday afternoon. Speaking to IANS, District Collector Pallavi Baldev said the operations were continuing and the trekkers were being brought down by the rescue team members.
RECAP: Two girls who were rescued from the forest fire
Two groups of trekkers from Chennai, Tirupur and Erode
The News Minute reported that there were two groups of trekkers. One had 13 people hailing from Tirupur and Erode, and another group had 24, who hailed from Chennai. The Chennai group had started to Theni on 9 March.
6 victims hailed from Chennai, 3 others from Erode
Thirty-seven people, including 26 women, 8 men and 3 children, were part of the trek. Six of the victims hail from Chennai, while three others are from Erode. When the group was coming down the slopes of Bodinayyakanurm, they got trapped in the forest fire.
9 charred to death
At least nine people, four women, four men and one child, were charred to death in Kurangani area in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district in a forest fire on Sunday, the Superintendent of Police told reporters.