Bihar: 400 tourists rescued near Karkatgarh waterfall in Kaimur hills

The water level in the Karmnasha river started rising sharply at around 5pm on Sunday when the tourists, mostly women and children, crossed the river

Four hundred tourists trapped across the Karmnasha river near the Karkatgarh waterfall in Bihar’s Kaimur district were rescued by the administration and locals in a late evening operation after a sudden rise in the water level on Sunday, people familiar with the matter said.

Divers tied a rope across the river and brought all the tourists back to safety with the help of ropes and tubes. (Sourced)

The Karmnasha waterfall is famous for its scenery and crocodile sighting spots. Hundreds of tourists from adjacent districts come here with families, especially on weekends.

The water level started rising sharply at around 5pm on Sunday when the tourists, mostly women and children, crossed the river and went to the Uttar Pradesh side. By the time people could realise it, the water level further rose significantly with strong currents. People started screaming in panic after seeing their family members and children trapped across the river. People from the nearby Karkatgarh village informed the Chainpur police.

Kaimur district magistrate Navdeep Shukla immediately sent the administrative and police officers and monitored the rescue operation. The rescue team did not have the equipment to deal with such a dire situation and it was getting dark. Flash lights, ropes and tubes were arranged locally.

All the trapped people were repeatedly asked on loudspeakers to have courage and not to panic. Everyone was asked to assemble at the low water area. Divers tied a rope across the river and brought all of them back to safety with the help of ropes and tubes.

Officials said that this dangerous situation arose due to the sudden release of water in the river from the Awarwatand dam situated in Uttar Pradesh.