COIMBATORE : In the wee hours of Tuesday, while almost everyone in the hill town of Valaparai was headed out to safer places, one lone man was moving against the current to rescue the few left stranded. As many as 13 people trapped in the first floor of a building near Vaalaithottam were rescued, thanks to effort of this Valaparai station inspector P Thirumeni.
It was around 12 am when Thirumeni received information that a few people were trapped in a house in that region. Flood water had filled the ground floor of the house, forcing the residents – 13 of them – to move to the first floor. However, as the house was completely surrounded with the flood water, no one was able to reach them. Thirumeni, the only at the station then, immediately left for the place to try his luck.
“I heard a baby cry somewhere inside. With water up to my shoulder, I managed to swim and reach the building and get five persons out,” he narrates.
It was from these rescued persons that he learnt about eight more still stuck on the first floor. The man ventured in again and managed to bring them to safety too. “I could not think about safety then. The only thing I had in mind was to save the lives. I could not get the help of the locals as they were scared too,” he adds.Thirumeni went without sleep on Wednesday and continued rescue work till Thursday evening. On the same day, five persons were stranded inside the Valparai bus depot. This time, Fire and Rescue personnel managed to rescue them.
Landslide in Nilgiris
Incessant rain in The Nilgiris triggered a minor landslide at Frog Hill in Gudalur on Thursday. A few boulders rolled down the cliff-face and blocked the Ooty-Gudalur Road.