A hiker who fell while taking a selfie at Needle Rock View Point was rescued early Friday morning | Photo credit: Special arrangement
A tourist from Chengalpattu, who fell more than 100 feet while taking a selfie at Needle Rock View Point near Gudalur, was successfully rescued after a night-long operation by the Army with the assistance of the Nilgiris District Police, Fire and Rescue Services and Forest Department personnel.
The hiker, identified as Sivagurunathan, fell on Thursday (March 19, 2026) evening and could not be immediately rescued as he suffered fractures that left him incapacitated. Throughout the evening, paramedics at the scene kept him calm, provided him with food and warmth, and waited for help from army personnel stationed at the Wellington military base, who arrived on the scene on Thursday evening.
Doctors stabilized Sivagurunathan by administering first aid. He was then placed on a stretcher and carefully lifted to the top of the cliff from where he was taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital for further tests and treatment.
More than 60 members of the army, police, fire and rescue services and the forest department were involved in the precarious rescue operation, which ended successfully on the morning of Friday, March 20.
Published – 20 March 2026 14:35 IST
