200 tourists rescued from Ooty forest fire

At least 200 tourists, who were caught in a forest fire near Coonoor, had been rescued. The forest department has suspended tourism activities following the incident, an official said. The fire, which was noticed in the wee hours of today, had spread from Lampsrock to Dolphin Nose (both tourist spots) sides till around noon. In the meantime, a batch of tourists arrived in buses for sight-seeing in the Coonoor forest range. After seeing the fire spreading, the tourists got panicked and the forest department officials assisted by fire force personnel and local people brought them out of the forest. Though a tourist's motorcycle was gutted in the fire, several tourists developed nausea and itching in the eyes due to the smoke emanating from the fire. Some 500 acres of forest area were damaged in the fire, the sources added. Forest fires have been destroying green cover in the Nilgiris district over the past two months.