Youth falls to death on Siddhagad fort trek in Thane district

Thane, Jun 17 (PTI ) A 22-year-old man from Navi Mumbai fell to his death while trekking to Siddhagad fort in Murbad taluka of Thane district amid heavy rains, an official said on Tuesday.

The body of Sairaj Chavan was retrieved from a 300-feet gorge on Tuesday morning, almost 48 hours after he fell off a cliff.

"A team of seven to eight trekkers from Navi Mumbai had gone to Siddhagad on Sunday morning. Around 3:30 pm, their leader, Sairaj Dhananjay Chavan, lost his footing and fell into a deep gorge," Murbad Tehsildar Abhijit Deshmukh told PTI.

He said a rescue operation was launched immediately. However, heavy rains and dense fog posed hurdles in locating Chavan.

"Chavan was located lying unconscious around 3:30 pm on Monday. However, fog and slippery rocks prevented rescuers from descending into the gorge. Finally, his body was retrieved on Tuesday morning. Police are investigating the incident," the tehsildar added. PTI COR NSK