Modi condoles death, wishes speedy recovery for injured in Theni forest fire

Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families which have lost their kin in the forest fire in the Western Ghat's Kurangani Hill ranges in Theni district of Tamil Nadu.

He also wished the trekkers who were injured when they were caught in the fire, a speedy recovery.

“My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Theni forest fire. I hope that those who are injured recover soon,” Mr. Modi tweeted on Monday. In another tweet he said, “I would like to appreciate RM @nsitharaman Ji, the Indian Air Force, the Garud Commandos and the local administration for their stupendous efforts during the rescue and relief operations in the wake of the Theni forest fire.”

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan has said that he is closely monitoring the rescue of those trapped in the forest fire and was in touch with the Ministers, district collector and other top officials. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the affected families and also wished speedy recovery for the injured.

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman who had promptly responded to the crisis and asked the IAF to rescue the trekkers, said on Monday that an advanced light helicopter (ALH) would be pressed into service for rescuing those trapped in the forest fire in Tamil Nadu, due to the hostile terrain.

“We are also bringing in an ALH, which is a light helicopter so that the manoeuvrability will be better because this cliff is almost a vertical hillock, which goes up very sharply and there is not much not of a level ground where they can land,” she said.