Man dies while trekking Velliangiri hills in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: A 48-year-old man died while trekking the Velliangiri Hills on Sunday. This is the seventh such instance reported on the difficult trail since the trekking season began on February 1 this year.Forest officials have identified the deceased as P Kumaravel, 48 from Manapparai in Trichy. He died on the seventh hill around 3am on Sunday. "He reportedly developed breathing difficulties and collapsed. Fellow devotees rushed to help and tried to revive him, but their efforts were unsuccessful," said Boluvampatti forest range officer K Jayachandran.On being alerted, forest department personnel, accompanied by a medical professional, trekked to the spot. However, the doctor declared him dead following an initial examination.Forest staff recovered the body and shifted it to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for a postmortem. Alandurai police have registered a case of unnatural death, and an investigating further.Meanwhile, forest officials have urged devotees, especially those with underlying health conditions or those trekking alone, to undergo medical check-ups before attempting the climb.