A 17-year-old boy was killed in a sudden flash flood at the Old Courtallam Falls in Tamil Nadu’s Tenkasi on Friday, May 17, amid heavy rain alert. The deceased Ashwin, a Class 11 student, was a resident of the NGO Colony in Palayamkottai. The Courtallam Falls saw an increased number of visitors in the past two days after the recent rains in the Western Ghats. Ashwin too had visited the tourist spot with his relatives.

The flash flood began around 2.30 pm, taking people on the premises by surprise. As visitors shouted for help and tried to escape the rising water level, the police personnel deployed in the region rushed to bring people to safety. However, before everyone could escape, the water had already submerged the elevated steps that lead to the car park. It was only after Ashwin’s family managed to get out that they realised he had been washed away.

The Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot for the search operation, and Ashwin’s body was retrieved around 5.10 pm, about 500 metres away from the waterfall. 

Speaking to media persons, District Collector Kamal Kishore said that precautionary measures were taken, and the incident was unfortunate. He said tourists have now been temporarily banned from venturing into the Main Courtallam waterfalls, Aintharuvi, and Old Courtallam waterfalls.