COIMBATORE: A TNSTC bus driver was killed and the conductor was rescued after being trapped for more than eight hours when a landslide buried their vehicle at Burliyar on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam ghat road in the Nilgiris on Friday night. All 40 passengers had alighted earlier after the bus developed a flat tyre.
The driver, J Janagaraj (51) of Katteri dam, and conductor Kesavan (34) of Solur Mattam in Kil Kotagiri were looking for a suitable place to stop after the tyre went flat. The bus was travelling from Coonoor to Coimbatore when a tree fell across the road, forcing the driver to reverse. Another tree fell around 10.30 pm, further restricting their movement, before a landslide sent trees, rocks and silt crashing down on the vehicle.
“The driver reversed the bus for some distance after we were unable to proceed because a tree had fallen across the road. However, another tree fell across the road at 10.30 pm, further restricting our movement. I noticed rainwater flowing down the hillside when the landslide occurred,” Kesavan said. He is undergoing treatment at the Mettupalayam Government Hospital.
Rescue personnel from the Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force (TNDRF) and the Fire and Rescue Services Department rescued Kesavan around 7.30 am on Saturday. Janagaraj was found dead around 11.10 am. He is suspected to have died from a head injury. The bus was severely damaged, with debris entering the vehicle and trapping the two occupants. Rescue teams could not reach the spot immediately as fallen trees and landslide debris blocked the road. They began the operation around 5 am after clearing the obstructions.
Meanwhile, 241 students and 25 teachers from Kerala, who were on a trip to Ooty, were stranded in seven buses due to the disruption of traffic on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor ghat road.
Chennai may receive moderate to heavy rain; red alert issued for Dindigul, Theni, Madurai
Rescue personnel helped them reach safety, and they were accommodated at marriage halls and a school in Mettupalayam and Kallar. Stranded passengers and drivers were also provided food and medical assistance.
Minister for Backward Classes V Sampath Kumar said the students had been rescued and could retrieve their vehicles once the road was restored and the rain subsided. Later on Saturday evening, the Kerala students were sent back to their native places in buses. Stranded passengers and drivers were also provided with food and medical assistance. Animal Husbandry Minister S Kamali also monitored the rescue and relief work.
Coimbatore Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar said police, revenue, local body and State Highways personnel assisted rescue teams from Mettupalayam, Coonoor, Periyanaickenpalayam, Annur, Kavundampalayam and Sulur.
IMD alerts, restrictions and wider impact
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai has forecast heavy rain in TN until Monday, as a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm.
It is very likely to move further northwestwards, intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm and cross Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by forenoon of October 28. Burliyar in the Nilgiris recorded 25 cm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Saturday, the highest in the state during the period.
Kil Kotagiri Estate received 20 cm, Coonoor 17 cm, Mettupalayam 15 cm and Kotagiri 14 cm. According to TN-SMART data, Virugavoor in the Kallakurichi district recorded a 20 cm of rainfall on Saturday night, while surrounding interior districts registered a lower baseline average of 6.8 mm.
Localised stations within Tiruvannamalai, such as Chengam, separately logged rainfall as high as 11.16 cm. The IMD has issued a red alert for Theni, Dindigul and Madurai districts for Sunday, with extremely heavy rain likely at isolated places. An orange alert is in force for the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Karur, Tiruchy, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Sivaganga, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Pudukkottai. Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga are also under an orange alert for Monday.
Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph are likely at isolated places across TN, Puducherry and Karaikal till Monday. Chennai is likely to receive moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms on Sunday.
The downpour triggered landslides at 19 locations and tree falls at 18 locations across the Nilgiris. The incident has revived memories of the 1993 Marapalam landslide, when two buses were reportedly buried, killing passengers.
Following the landslides and tree falls, Nilgiris Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Taneeru announced that tourist spots in the district would remain closed until further orders.
She urged tourists to avoid visiting the Nilgiris for the next three days. The district administration has suspended the movement of all vehicles, including TNSTC buses, between 6 pm and 7 am for three days, exempting ambulances and other essential vehicles.
Similar instructions have been issued for Valparai. The Railways has cancelled train services between Mettupalayam and Udhagamandalam on the Nilgiris Mountain Railway for two days following multiple landslides.
A driver travelling in an empty poultry van was also stranded after his vehicle reportedly plunged into a 100-foot gorge during the landslide. He escaped unhurt and returned home.
Parts of Kodaikanal cut off
Heavy rain brought parts of Kodaikanal to a standstill on Friday and Saturday, with landslides reported at several locations in Dindigul district. Adukkam panchayat, along the Periyakulam-Kodaikanal route, was cut off after landslides damaged the road at seven locations.
The district administration ordered the closure of tourist spots in Dindigul on Sunday.
A State Highways Department official said the stretch connecting Periyakulam in Theni district and Kodaikanal through Adukkam suffered extensive damage and was closed to traffic on Friday.
