NILGIRIS: A lorry loaded with wooden logs, parked along the roadside at Kattabettu near Kotagiri, plunged into a 100-foot gorge reportedly due to the soil becoming loose after recent rains. A video showing the lorry rolling down the gorge and wooden logs being scattered across has gone viral on social media. Police sources said that the driver had got down from the lorry after parking the vehicle.
According to Kotagiri police, the driver, Arun Prasath (29), had parked the vehicle to attend nature's call on Saturday night. However, he was unable to move the vehicle further as its left-side tyres got stuck in the slush following rainfall in the Kattabettu and Kotagiri areas. The lorry was transporting eucalyptus logs to a factory from Ooty.
As it was drizzling and night had set in, the driver decided to move the vehicle the next morning (Sunday). However, he could not get it out of the slush and got down from the vehicle. Subsequently, the lorry rolled into the gorge. The driver escaped unhurt, and no one else was injured in the incident. Efforts are under way to retrieve the vehicle from the gorge, while the wooden logs have been retrieved.
Meanwhile, Kil Kotagiri received 52mm of rainfall, while Kotagiri recorded just 5mm in the 24 hours ending at 7 am on Sunday.
Due to continuous rainfall, landslides and boulders falling on tracks have disrupted train services on the Nilgiris Mountain Railway (NMR) for over a week. In a statement issued on Sunday, Salem Railway Division officials said that railway personnel were engaged in restoration work despite the challenges posed by the difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions.
The extent of damage and obstructions is severe, and restoration work is yet to be completed. Consequently, train services on the NMR route have been cancelled until November 4.
The Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam train (56136) and the Udhagamandalam-Mettupalayam train (56137) will remain cancelled on November 2, 3 and 4. Similarly, the Udhagamandalam-Mettupalayam special train (06172) has been cancelled on Monday.
Meanwhile, a fresh landslip occurred near Nandagopal Bridge on the Mettupalayam–Coonoor Road on Sunday morning, with a massive boulder falling onto the road following 10mm of rainfall recorded in Burliyar. The incident has raised concerns among officials as vehicular traffic has not yet resumed on the Mettupalayam–Coonoor Road, which was closed following the major landslide last week that claimed the life of a TNSTC bus driver.
