A 27-year-old trekker Chetan Dhande, who had gone to Kalavantin Durg near Panvel, slipped and fell to death into a 700-ft gorge on Saturday. Kalavantin Durg is considered one of the most dangerous fortresses.
As per Panvel rural police, the incident took place at around 10.15 am. Several other groups, climbing the fortress, witnessed the tragedy and contacted rural police and Nisarga Mitra organisation from Panvel who are experienced in rescue missions.
“We got a call at around 10.30 am and immediately formed a team for the rescue. After the initial details were obtained from other trekkers, we narrowed down our search to a particular spot. But due to thick bushes, we found it difficult to locate the body. We found the body around 1 pm,” said Parag Sarode of Nisarga Mitra.
Onlookers informed that Chetan fell off a 25-ft rock patch at the top of the fort. First, he fell down some 100-ft but, bounced off to a bump and then went sliding down further.
“Kalavantin Durg is not a place to go casually. It has a steep gradient, the route is narrow and the terrain is rough. It is advisable to climb the fort under supervision of professional or experienced trekkers. However, it has been observed that enthusiasts visit the fort without any knowledge or experience, and considering the increasing number of trekkers on the fort every year, I fear many such incidents might happen,” said Sarode.
{{/usCountry}}“Kalavantin Durg is not a place to go casually. It has a steep gradient, the route is narrow and the terrain is rough. It is advisable to climb the fort under supervision of professional or experienced trekkers. However, it has been observed that enthusiasts visit the fort without any knowledge or experience, and considering the increasing number of trekkers on the fort every year, I fear many such incidents might happen,” said Sarode.
{{/usCountry}}Two months back, Rachita Gupta Kanodia, a 27-year-old Hyderabad-based mountain climber, who had gone on a trek to Prabalgad fort and Kalavantin Durg, was found dead after 10 days. It was suspected that she fell off the 600-odd metre height.