KOCHI: A 43-year-old man went missing as a landslide triggered by incessant rain swept away a Tempo Traveller at Puthukudi near Kundala dam in Munnar on Saturday afternoon. The missing person has been identified as Roopesh of Asokanagar in Kozhikode. The vehicle plunged into a 100-m-deep gorge in the impact of the debris flow.
In view of the landslide, district collector Sheeba George issued an order banning traffic on the Munnar-Vattavada Road till further order. Night traffic has been banned in Devikulam taluk from 7 pm to 7 am.
According to sources, a 12-member team from Kozhikode was returning from Munnar Top Station when the vehicle was caught in heavy flow at Puthukudi. As the road was filled with mud and boulders, the tourists got down from the vehicle and were trying to make way for the vehicle when a portion of the hill came tumbling down.
The male members of the team were pushing the vehicle ahead when there was heavy flow. While all others ran to safety, Roopesh was caught in the flow and went missing, said police. A search has been launched to find the missing person.
The Tempo Traveller, was swept away in the heavy flow and plunged into the gorge. Though the meteorology department had issued an orange alert in Munnar, the climate was pleasant in Munnar. However, areas like Kundala and Yellapetti received heavy rainfall which triggered the landslide.