About 200 people marked safe after flash floods in Kalvarayan Hills

A flash flood struck around 200 people on a picnic to a waterfall in a hilly area near here, but they escaped by showing the presence of mind by forming a human chain Tuesday, police said.

Around 10 people sustained minor injuries in the melee, they said. Being a holiday, a large number of people visited the Anaivari waterfall in the Kalvarayan Hills near Athuru, about 50 km from here.

Around 200 people were enjoying a bath under the waterfall when suddenly there was a gush of water from the top, catching them unaware.

Shocked by the flash floods, the tourists started screaming.

As the swirling waters rose to knee level, they, however, managed to hold their hands together and formed a human chain to avoid being swept away, police said.

Some people held on to stones and boulders until the flow of water receded.