A 27-year-old Telugu woman died in the United States after she accidentally slipped and fell down at a waterfall, reportedly while taking a selfie. According to reports, the incident took place when Polavarapu Kamala had gone to Bald River waterfalls in Tennessee with her fiance on September 12. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said that they received a call around 4.30 pm about the two of them slipping and falling down. While the man was rescued by bystanders, Kamala could not be immediately found. She was found later under a log as she had been swept away by the water current. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was carried out until first responders arrived at the scene.
She was shifted to Sweetwater Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Kamala was reported to hail from Krishna district and is said to have gone to the US a few years ago to pursue her higher education, following which she got a job and began working in Ohio. Her final rites may be conducted back in India.
While the police did not initially reveal the identity of the woman, after preliminary investigation suggested that it was an accident that led to the death, they gave out further details to the local media.
Speaking to local reporters, a neighbour said that the parents had two children, of which Kamala was one. Her elder sister is married and lives in Chennai.
"We learnt about the news via her friends and fiance. We have been in distress since we have learnt of the incident. We are trying to see if we can bring the body to Hyderabad and then by road, to her native village," the niehgbour said.
The Bald River Falls is around 90-feet high and one of the most prominent waterfalls in the region.