Travel influencer Aanvi Kamdar has died after falling into a gorge in India. She was 27.
According to The Economic Times and The Independent, local police confirmed that Kamdar died on Tuesday, July 16, while she was on a trip with several friends in India. The group was visiting Kumbhe waterfall, which is located about 80 miles south of Mumbai. While exploring the site, officials reported that Kamdar slipped and fell into a gorge while allegedly filming Instagram videos.
“She fell on the hard, slippery patch of rocks around 300 feet into the valley and couldn’t be spotted initially,” a rescuer told the Economic Times. “She was sent up using a stretcher attached to rappelling ropes. Six rescuers climbed down the hill, while another 50 assisted atop the hillock.”
After authorities were alerted of the social media creator’s fall, a rescue operation began which lasted six hours due to inclement weather, per the Times. The rescuer told the outlet that Kamdar was responsive when she was retrieved and put on a ventilator while en route to the hospital. She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Kamdar, who was based in India, ran the account @theglocaljournal. The creator described herself as a “detective for travel, luxury finds, cafés, itineraries, tips & feels,” per her Instagram bio. She has nearly 300,000 followers on the platform. While she was an influencer she was also a chartered accountant and previously worked for Deloitte.
Since news broke of Kamdar’s passing, many flocked to her last Instagram to leave touching tributes, including influencer Aakanksha Monga, who knew Kamdar in real life.
“I can’t believe it. This is deeply saddening and has kept me up all night. She was one of the kindest people I knew,” Monga replied on Wednesday. Please, let’s focus on praying for her soul to rest in peace and remember the joy and positivity she brought to our lives.”
Prior to her death, Kamdar’s final social media post was a video guide detailing which destinations were the most affordable and least crowded places to visit in India for the country’s Independence Day, which falls on August 15.
“Abroad list is already up on my feed. Just tell me 👇🏽 and I shall send it to you 💕,” she captioned the Monday, July 15, clip. “Here are five places you can visit during the monsoons. Flight, tickets and hotel rates have been checked as of today for 15th to 18th August.”
Her suggestions included Udaipur, Karnataka, Goa, Delhi, Agra and Maharashtra. For travelers looking to get out of the country, Kamdar shared that Thailand was a great choice for those wanting to take a longer trip.
