A picnic to the Mankayam ecotourism centre turned tragic for a family of 10 members when a six-year old girl drowned and a woman went missing in the Mankayam river following a flash flood on Sunday. All the others were brought to safety in a rescue operation that lasted well into the late hours of the day.
The deceased has been identified as Nasriya Fathima of Pulinji in Nedumangad. The incident had occurred when the group led by Shafeeq of Pulinji headed for Mankayam for a weekend getaway. Denied access to the ecotourism centre by forest personnel on account of the inclement weather, the family chose to swim at Vazhathope nearby.
The group was swept away by the flash flood that struck the area around 5.30 p.m. Local residents managed to rescue six people including children. On being alerted, the police and fire force personnel rushed to the scene and managed to rescue two more people.
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It took nearly two hours for the team to rescue Nasriya Fathima nearly 500 metres away from where she had gone missing. Despite being rushed to a hospital nearby, her life could not be saved. Shafeeq’s sister-in-law Shani, 34, is yet to be rescued.
According to official sources, while six of those rescued were admitted in the Palode government hospital, a six-year old girl Amena has been shifted to the SAT Hospital in the city.
Despite witnessing a moderate downpour on the day, the region including the Braemore forests have received copious rainfall during the last few days, prompting the district administrations to restrict public movement there.
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