Man, 79, dies after he slips and falls down a cliff while hiking with daughters near waterfall
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: A 79-year-old man died after he fell more than 20 meters down a cliff near one of the country's most photographed waterfalls while hiking with his two daughters. The incident took place near Purling Brook Falls in Springbrook National Park, a part of the Gold Coast hinterland on Thursday, September 15. The man was on a vacation to see one of his daughters who lived in the city.
According to 9News, one of his daughters bravely attempted to rescue her father by climbing down the rocks but failed to save him. She was later winched to safety by the Queensland Ambulance Service helicopter. A spokesperson from Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia: "Crews located the man at the bottom of the cliff and he was declared deceased a short time later."
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According to a witness who spoke to 9News, "It's a little alarming because when you see helicopters, you think someone fell and got hurt or hurt their ankle." "On the way back up, we met one of the family members, and she seemed upset. It was rather terrible," another person commented. The 4 km, grade 3 Purling Brook Falls circuit trek in Springbrook National Park takes around an hour and a half to accomplish.
A similar incident took place in Kerala, India, on July 31 when due to the intense rainfall in the nearby forest, a flash flood at the well-known tourist destination of Kumbhavurutty Falls resulted in the deaths of one person and the injury of another. According to a senior forest official in the area, they ordered everyone to leave the waterfall as soon as they spotted the rain and change in water level. Yet, five individuals were unable to go right immediately for safety.
Three of them were ultimately saved by forest officials although two of them were washed away, with one banging his head on the rocks at the base of the falls, according to the official. He claimed that although the two who were carried away were injured and saved, one of them eventually died in the hospital. According to the forest authority, the waterfalls have been shut down as a result of the tragedy until certain safety precautions, such as a safety net, are put in place to prevent anyone from being carried away or losing their balance and tumbling to the bottom of the falls.