At least 40 devotees of Goddess Amman taking a dip in the Bhavani River near Mettupalayam on Tuesday were caught in the waters that surged following release of water from the nearby Pilloor Dam after heavy rain, police said.
The devotees from various places visited the Vana Bhadrakali Amman temple on Vijayadasami and 40 of them were taking a dip in the river when they got trapped and screamed for help, they said.
Soon, members of the public and policemen tried to pull the trapped 40 out of the waters one by one. Finally, the fire and rescue service personnel arrived and rescued all of them, the police said.