Mumbai-based travel influencer Aanvi Kamdar, 27, died after falling into a gorge while filming an Instagram reel at the Kumbhe waterfall in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.
Kamdar, a chartered accountant known for her travel blog under the handle @theglocaljournal, had been visiting the popular site with seven friends on July 16.
According to Mangaon police, Kamdar slipped and fell into a 300-foot gorge while capturing a video. Her friends immediately alerted local authorities, who mobilised a swift and coordinated rescue operation. The Coast Guard, Kolad rescue team, and Maharashtra State Electricity Board staff joined local authorities in the effort to save her.
“As soon as we reached the spot, we realised that the girl had fallen nearly 300-350 feet. Even after reaching her, it was difficult to get her up, as she was injured and it was raining heavily. So we decided to get her out using a vertical pulley,” a rescuer told NDTV.
The rescue operation was further complicated by falling stones, but Kamdar was eventually retrieved after a six-hour effort. Despite the valiant rescue attempt, she succumbed to her injuries at the Mangaon taluka government hospital, according to the Mangaon police.
Authorities have issued a caution to tourists visiting waterfalls during the monsoon season, emphasising the importance of safety in such treacherous conditions.
This comes a month after a 23-year-old woman died after her car plunged into a valley while she was filming an Instagram reel in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
According to the police, Shweta Deepak Survase, a resident of Hanuman Nagar in Sambhajinagar, accidentally pressed the car’s accelerator instead of the brake while the Toyota Etios car was in reverse gear. The car moved backward and fell into the valley. A video of the incident also made the rounds on social media.
A young woman, while trying to make a video (Reel), accidentally pressed the accelerator in reverse gear, causing the car to fall into a ditch, resulting in her death.Location- Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/B5T8m2FvaS
— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) June 18, 2024
Upon receiving information about the accident, the police arrived at the scene. They retrieved the car from the valley and took the woman to a hospital where the doctors declared her dead.
First Published: Jul 18 2024 | 1:10 PM IST