27-year-old influencer falls off 300-ft ridge while making reel, dies

Mumbai-based social media influencer Aanvi Kamdar died after falling into a gorge near Kumbhe waterfall in Raigad. She was rescued but later succumbed to her injuries.

MUMBAI: A 27-year-old Mumbai-based social media influencer, Aanvi Kamdar, died after falling into a 300-feet deep gorge near the famous Kumbhe waterfall at Mangaon in Raigad. The incident occurred on Tuesday, when Kamdar fell off a ridge while recording a video on her mobile phone. She was rescued by local residents and wildlife enthusiasts after seven hours and taken to the government hospital in Mangaon, where she succumbed to her injuries, said Nivrutti Borade, senior inspector at Mangaon police station.

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“Every monsoon, visitors flock Kumbhe and Devkund waterfalls near Mangaon. But the spot near Kumbhe waterfalls, from where Kamdar fell off, has become famous on social media in the past two years,” said wildlife photographer and activist Shantanu Kuveskar, who was part of the rescue team.

Kamdar, a chartered accountant, fell of a 70-80 feet long narrow ridge, which attracts social media influencers for the expansive view of the valley and the waterfall, said Kuveskar. “You get a stunning drone view from the spot,” he said, adding that Kamdar did not have any safety gear and she slipped while walking towards the end of the ridge.

Police said the incident occurred at around 10.00am on Tuesday, when Kamdar was visiting the spot along with six friends – three from Mumbai and three others from Delhi, who too were active on social media. After she fell off the ridge, her friends contacted the Mangaon police immediately, following which Borade, the officer in-charge of Mangaon police station, alerted voluntary rescue groups working in the area.

Rescue teams reached the spot around 12.30pm and identified the area where Kamdar have fallen. Then, Kuveskar, two members of the Kolad rescue group named Sagar Dahimbekar and Suraj Dahimbekar, and a volunteer named Shubhankar Vanarse climbed down to the valley using safety ropes and located the chartered accountant, who was badly injured and had suffered several fractures.

“She was barely breathing when we approached her but responded to our queries in a very faint tone,” said Kuveskar. “Though we had managed to locate her, the entire valley was covered in dense fog and it was raining heavily, making carrying her up the steep slope a real challenge,” he said.

Eventually, around 4.30pm, the rescuers put Kamdar on a stretcher and pulled her out of the valley with the help of police personnel, panchayat members and electricity distribution company workers. She was taken to the government hospital in Mangaon, where she succumbed to her injuries hours later.

The social media influencer’s body was subsequently handed over to her family members, said her uncle Neelay Kamdar.

“When I got a call from an unknown number at around 1pm on Tuesday, I answered it, only to be told that it was Aanvi’s friend who had accompanied her for the trek,” he said. “The first thought I had after hearing about her fall was – could it be a cyber fraud who is trying to scare us and extract money?”

Neelay called Aanvi’s mother immediately to check on her whereabouts and realised she had indeed gone for trekking. He then rushed back home, picked up his wife, father and Aanvi’s mother and reached Kumbhe waterfall around 5:30pm, where they were told that she had been taken to the hospital.

“After she passed away, we brought the body to the city and performed her last rites on Wednesday,” he said.