Devotee dies while climbing down Velliangiri hills

Coimbatore: A devotee from Karnataka died of sudden cardiac arrest while climbing down the Velliangiri hills after offering prayers on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as R Shiva, 40, from Thiruvannamalai district. He was residing with his family in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where he was running a petty shop for the last 20 years. He is survived by his wife Nithya and three sons.
He had come to Alandurai in Coimbatore district from Bengaluru along with his brother Ravi and five friends on Monday night. The group climbed the seven hills in Velliangiri and offered their prayers. When they were climbing down, Shiva developed breathing trouble when they were on the third hill. Dolly bearers were informed immediately, and they reached the hill and brought him down within an hour. However, when medical staff checked Shiva, they declared him dead.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Shiva had suffered a heart ailment two years ago and had since been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru. The forest department had already advised those with heart ailments, diabetes, or breathing troubles against climbing the hills. However, Shiva climbed the hill without heeding the warning.
Alandurai police sent his body to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for a postmortem. Police said this is the first death reported in the hills this year.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is on.