Five tourists stranded atop waterfall in Karnataka's coastal district rescued by locals

Mangaluru: Five tourists who were stranded atop the Eragundi waterfall were rescued safely by the locals, police said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday at Paladka in Puttige village of Moodbidri taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, they said.

According to police officials, the visitors had reportedly ignored warnings from local residents and climbed to the upper portion of the waterfall, but due to sudden raise in water levels in the river, the tourists were marooned and cried for help.

Thanks to swift action by local residents, ropes were used to pull all five individuals to safety. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

District authorities had earlier cautioned people against visiting waterfalls and hilly terrains during periods of intense rain.

However, the tendency of some tourists who disregard these advisories continues to pose challenges for local communities and rescue teams, the officials added.

Heavy monsoon rains are lashing Karnataka's coastal belt for the past three days severely disrupting normal life in Dakshina Kannada district, promoting authorities to issue a red alert and deploy disaster response teams.

The red alert for the coastal Karnataka will remain in force for the next five days, the IMD said.