Tirupati: Eleven tourists, who had lost their way in the Penchalakona forest, were rescued by authorities on Wednesday after an hours-long search operation. The tourists were part of a 20-member group that had gone to see the Penchalakona waterfall in the dense forest area of Nellore district. While nine members of the group managed to reach the village, the remaining eleven lost their way in the woods.
"We were shocked to see that eleven of our other travelers were not with us. "We waited for them for a long time, but when they didn't show up, we called the cops," one of the tourists who arrived at the waterfall said.
Upon receiving the information, local police and fire officials initiated a search and rescue effort in collaboration with forest authorities. By late evening, all eleven tourists had been identified and safely guided out of the jungle after an extended search.
"There were rumors that some tourists were washed away by the waterfall, but we can confirm that there were no casualties."
"All tourists are safe," police said in a statement, urging people not to trust unconfirmed rumors. They also urged travelers not to go too far into the woods without sufficient supervision, since the woodland area around the Penchalakona temple and waterfall is considered to be dangerous for unaccompanied travel.
