Theni/Chennai/Thiruvananthapuram: The toll in the forest fire in Theni district rose to 11 on Monday as the Tamil Nadu government ordered a probe into it and assured action against those who allegedly arranged for the expedition without permission.
Chief minister K Palaniswami said 11 persons - six women and five men - were killed in the fire at Kurangani Hill ranges in Western Ghats and expressed grief over the deaths.
The Kurangani Hills near Bodinayakanur (nearest railway station) is around 550 kms from Chennai and can also be accessed from Munnar in Kerala.
While six of the victims were from Chennai, others were from Erode district, he said in a statement.
The victims were identified as Erode natives Tamizhselvan, Divya, Vivek, Chennai natives Akhila, Shubha, Arun, Punitha, Hemaletha and Vipin from Coimbatore. Arul Selvam and Divya were the persons who passed away on Monday evening taking the death toll to 11.
According to officials, 28 others were rescued; eight of them with severe burns. Pala native Beena George is among those who sustained injuries.
"17 of the rescued have been hospitalised and 10 did not require hospitalisation," commissioner of revenue administration K Sathyagopal told reporters.
Health secretary J Radhakrishnan said of the 17 rescued, eight admitted to a Madurai hospital have suffered serious burn injuries. The remaining are warded in the Government Hospital in Theni and in a private hospital at the request of the injured.
Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters brought the remains of those killed from the hills. The remains of one more person was earlier brought down by road.
The bodies have been sent for identification and they would be handed over to the relatives after autopsy.
Probe ordered
Speaking to reporters, Palaniswami 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.
Stern action would be taken in the future against trekkers who undertake such expeditions without the state's permission, he said.
Rescue mission
The IAF had mounted a search and rescue operation since Sunday. Apart from its 15 commandos, the IAF pressed three of its helicopters in the rescue mission.
The commandos flew from the Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore late on Sunday and climbed the hills.
What had started as an adventure trip for the trekking group of eight men, 25 women and three children turned into a nightmare on Sunday afternoon as they were caught up in the massive blaze.
The group had camped at a place up in the hills on Saturday night. They were supposed to return on Sunday.
An official of Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services department told IANS that the terrain was tough and the approach to the accident spot was not motorable.
Trekking club staff missing
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Theni district collector M Pallavi Baldev had said more than 20 trekkers were from the Chennai Trekking Club (CTC) and the others from Erode and Tiruppur.
The adventure was part of the Woman's Day activity that was celebrated on Thursday. The trekking expedition was organised by the CTC, an online group of over 40,000 members.
The CTC website does not have any name or number of the persons who are in-charge of the trekking expeditions.
According to the website, the CTC is a non-profit, volunteer group which organises outdoor sports, environmental conservation and social activities throughout the year on weekends and weekday mornings.
"Founded in 2008 the group has grown to one of the most active and largest in South India with over 40,000 members and hundreds of activities throughout the year. All activities are free -- expenses are shared equally among participants," says the website www.chennaitrekkers.org
When probe officers reached their office at Palavakkam in Chennai to make enquiries, it was found closed, the police said on Monday.
Official apathy
Meanwhile, the localites on Monday alleged that the forest officials, who were among the first to respond to the forest fire, had no facility to rescue those trapped in the wild fire or to give them at least first aid.
The Forest Department had no arrangements for taking the injured to hospital swiftly. There was no water or first aid provided to the victims, some of the people told Manorama News.
They alleged that it's the apathy of Tamil Nadu Forest Department that caused the fire. The people also said that some forest officials allow illegal trekking in the region.
Parties condole forest fire deaths
Various political parties, including opposition DMK, on Monday expressed concern over the death of nine persons, part of a trekking expedition, in a forest fire in Tamil Nadu and called for steps to streamline the activity.
DMK working resident M K Stalin, AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran and PMK founder S Ramadoss, among others, condoled the death of nine trekkers in the Kurangani Hills fire.
Stalin, also the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, said he was "shocked and anguished" over the loss of lives and expressed his sympathies with the families of the victims.
"Such fires are often happening in the Kurangani forest. If the district administration and forest department had ensured adequate guidance and arrangements for those who had gone on the trekking expedition, the loss of lives could have been certainly avoided," he said in a statement.
In future, officials should ensure that adequate steps are in place for the safety of the trekkers, he added.
AIADMK leader and RK Nagar MLA Dhinakaran also condoled the death of the victims.
In a series of tweets, he blamed the forest department's 'laxity' for 'not preventing the victims from undertaking the trekking expedition as the reason for the tragedy.
The fires were raging for the past 15 days, but the forest department had also not issued any alerts, he alleged.
"The forest department not issuing alerts and not preventing them (trekkers) from undertaking the expedition is the reason for the loss of lives," he said.
In future, relevant rules and regulations regarding trekking should be duly followed, he said.
CPI state unit secretary R Mutharasan demanded a probe into the matter. He expressed sympathies with the families of the victims.
PMK leader Ramadoss wondered if all the rules were duly followed by the authorities concerned and the company that arranged for the trekking expedition.
He called for streamlining of trekking and increased monitoring in the area.
Makkal Needhi Mayyam founder-president Kamal Haasan also condoled the death of the nine persons and said the government should take concrete steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Kerala govt bans trekking temporarily
Meanwhile, the Kerala government has temporarily banned trekking in state forest areas in the backdrop of the fire at Kurangani hills.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, a statement issued by the chief minister's office said.
The State Forest Department has been directed to take all necessary precautions to prevent forest fires, the statement quoted chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as saying. He added that the authority was closely monitoring the situation.
The Idukki district collector and police superintendent were given instructions to assist the rescue operations undertaken by Tamil Nadu officials immediately when it was known that the fire had broken out in Theni district on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, Pinarayi Vijayan said.
Personnel of Kerala Fire Force, state police and the forest department took part in the rescue and relief operations, he added. Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief over the tragedy.