Udhagamandalam : The bodies of five youths from Tuticorin were found in a car lying in a 500-ft deep gorge at Kalhati on way to Masinagudi near here. Seven tourists had been reported missing since yesterday. The rescued persons were in an unconscious state, according to police.

The youths, who arrived on September 30 and stayed in a private hotel, had informed the hotel staff yesterday that they were leaving for Masinagudi, some 30 km from here for sightseeing, police said.

As they did not return till afternoon, hotel staff tried to contact them on their mobile phones and got the message unreachable. They then informed the Superintendent of Police offiice.

After searching various tourist spots in and around the area, police managed to track their phones near Kalhatti and rushed to the spot at the 31st hairpin bend and noticed a vehicle lying in the gorge.

District Collector Innocent Divya and SP Shanughapriya supervised the rescue operations. They also arranged to send the two tourists to a hospital here. One of them was being shifted to Mysuru.

The youths were Jude, Jayakumar, Ibrahim, Ravi Varma, Ramarajaiah, Arun and Amarnath from Tuticorin. Police said the injured were yet to be identified.