Trekker dies after falling 200ft into gorge at fort near Lonavla

PUNE: A 26-year-old trekker from Pune died on Sunday after falling nearly 200ft into a gorge during a rock-climbing event at the Tail Baila fort near Lonavla, about 95km from here.
Rescue teams said the trekker, identified as Somnath Shinde, fell into the gorge around 9.30am.
"We managed to trace his body around 12pm and were able to bring him up nearly 90 minutes later," said Sunil Gaikwad, a member of the trekking group Shiv Durga Mitra, which often assists with such rescues in the area.
Gaikwad said Shinde was the organiser of the rock-climbing event.
"There were six participants with him, including a nine-year-old girl. The participants are all safe," he said, adding that Shinde may not have taken adequate safety measures before the climb.
"His harness, helmet and even the rope he was using were not of good quality," Gaikwad said.
Gaikwad also said Shinde had organised the climb through social media.
"Shinde and the six others reached Tail Baila village on Saturday and stayed there overnight. On Sunday, they started for the fort around 5.30am and began the actual climb an hour later, with Shinde leading it," he said.
"The others were at the foothill of the rock Shinde was climbing. He fell around 9.30am and members of our team responded as soon as they got the information," Gaikwad said.
"It took us nearly one and a half hours to get his body out of the gorge," he added.
Gaikwad claimed Shinde was using the wrong type of helmet for the climb.
"He was wearing one that's used at construction sites. The helmet used for trekking or climbing is of different quality and never leaves your head. In this case, the helmet was found some distance away from the body and had a crack in it," Gaikwad said.
Maruti Gole, who has worked with Shinde, said: "He had come to Pune in search of a job some two years ago. We were in the process of helping him start his own food joint in the city."
Shinde was living in Katraj, but was originally from Osmanabad.
Gole added that Shinde used to organise treks and find participants for his events through social media announcements.
He said: "We found that his equipment was not of good quality. None of the participants sustained any injuries," Gole added.
The police have registered a case of accidental death.