TIRUPPUR/ERODE: A 40-year-old man was washed away in a flash flood near Amaravathi in Tiruppur, as heavy rains lashed Tiruppur and Erode districts between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Waterbodies in suburban areas were filled to the brim, causing traffic disruptions due to water stagnation. Inflow at Lower Bhavani Dam rose to 12,976 cusecs, prompting a bathing ban at tourist sites.
Erode recorded 428.40 mm of rainfall, while Tiruppur received 174 mm till 8 am on Sunday. The downpours triggered a flash flood in Koottaru River. A footbridge leading to Thalinji Vayal, a hill village under Amaravathi police limits, was submerged. Mariappan and his brother Madhu were attempting to return to the village on a coracle provided by the forest department. The turbulent waters capsized the coracle; Madhu managed to hold onto a tree branch and escape, but Mariappan was swept away. Villagers recovered his body on Sunday. Amaravathi police are investigating. Udumalaipet DSP T Namasivayam said, “The villagers did not agree to a postmortem, and the body was handed over to them.” N Manikandan, treasurer of the Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association, said,
“There are 45 SC/ST families in the hill village, and they have long insisted on a bridge across the river. This tragedy could have been avoided if the district administration had constructed one.” District collector Manish Narnaware said a detailed project report for a 7.3 km road and bridge to the village has been prepared and sent to the government, with an announcement expected soon. Flash floods at Panchalinga Falls in Thirumoorthy Hills late Saturday inundated the Amanalingeshwarar Temple, washing away four stalls set up by tribals.