CHENNAI:
The death toll in Tamil Nadu’s Kurangani Hills forest fire increased to 11 on Tuesday, with a 29-year-old succumbing to severe burn injuries, said an official.
“She (Divya from Erode) was admitted in Madurai Government Hospital with severe burn injuries. She died at around 12.30 p.m,” a hospital official said. On Sunday, a group of 36 trekkers were caught in the forest fire in Kurangani Hills in Theni district.
The injured have been admitted in a separate ward. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purhohit on Tuesday visited the Madurai Government Hospital and consoled the family members of the injured.
A 30-year-old man, believed to be a tour guide who led a 36-member trekking group on an ill-fated expedition in the district, has been arrested, police said today.
Police are probing, among others, how the trekkers came into contact with Ranjith, a local.
