Raigad:

A 26-year-old Instagram influencer died after falling into a gorge at Kumbhe waterfall near Maharashtra’s Raigad. Aanvi Kamdar, a resident of Mumbai, fell into a 300-foot gorge while shooting a reel, authorities said.

Aanvi had embarked on a trip with seven friends to the waterfall on July 16. The outing took a tragic turn around 10.30 am today when Aanvi slipped into a deep crevice when they were shooting a video.

Local authorities swiftly responded to the emergency, and a rescue team rushed to the scene. Additional support was sought from the Coast Guard, Kolad rescue team, and Maharashtra State Electricity Board staff.

“As soon as we reached the spot, we realised that the girl has fallen nearly 300-350 feet. Even after reaching her, it was difficult to get her up, as she was injured and it was raining heavily. So we decided to get her out using a vertical pulley,” a rescuer told NDTV.

After a six-hour rescue operation, Aanvi was safely brought out from the gorge. However, due to severe injuries sustained in the fall, she died at the Managaon sub-district hospital soon after she was brought in.

In the aftermath, local authorities, including the Tehsildar and Managaon police inspector, issued an appeal to tourists and citizens alike. They urged everyone to enjoy tourism responsibly and prioritise safety while exploring the scenic beauty of the Sahyadri ranges. They emphasised the need to avoid risky behaviours that could endanger lives.

Aanvi, an avid traveller and social media influencer known for her passion for monsoon tourism died in an attempt to capture the beauty of Kumbhe waterfall. Her love for exploring nature’s wonders was apparent in her popular social media posts and her keen interest in sharing unique experiences with her followers.

(With inputs from Mehboob Jamadar)

A popular influencer on Instagram, Reshma Sebastian, has issued a clarification and said that she is not Smriti Singh, the widow of Captain Anshuman Singh, who was recently awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously, India’s second-highest gallantry award, by President Droupadi Murmu, for his bravery during a fire incident in Siachen.

Many internet users mistakenly believed Ms Sebastian to be Smriti Singh. Several people stated that their facial features and hairstyle seem similar. Notably, the influencer is a mother to a four-year-old girl and resides in Germany.

The influencer said that she endured harassment for her fashion videos and pictures on the social networking platform. Ms Sebastian also shared a screenshot on her Instagram story of a man mocking the Army officer’s wife in a Facebook post that included her picture.

She wrote, “This is absurd! Using my identity to spread false information about Smriti Singh. We are going ahead with legal actions.” The influencer, who has over three lakh followers, urged people to inform her of any other such incident.

Reshma Sebastian also shared a post on her Instagram feed and captioned it, “There is a limit.” “This is not Smriti Singh’s (widow of Indian Army soldier Capt Anshuman Singh) page/ig account. Read the profile details and bio first. Please refrain from spreading false information and hate comments,” she wrote in the post.

In July last year, a short circuit led to a fire in an Indian Army ammunition dump at Siachen around 3 am. Captain Singh helped rescue those stuck inside a fibre-glass hut near the dump as it caught fire. When the fire reached a nearby medical investigation shelter, Captain Singh attempted to retrieve life-saving medicine stored inside. In doing so, he suffered severe burns and died soon after.

The couple were married in February last year after Captain Singh graduated from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. This was his first posting at Siachen under Operation Meghdoot.