A government bus driver was killed after his vehicle was hit by a landslide at Burliar on the Ooty-Mettupalayam road in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, Deccan Herald reported.
The bus involved in the accident was not carrying passengers when the landslide struck. Soon after the incident, rescue and relief operations were set in motion.
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An official said that torrential rainfall battered Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district, triggering landslides, disrupting transport services and leaving more than 300 people stranded, including school children from Kerala on an educational tour.
Burliar recorded nearly 25 cm of rainfall within a few hours, making it the worst-affected location in the district.
With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for Saturday and forecasting further heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, the state government deployed five disaster response teams to assist local authorities.
The incident severely disrupted traffic along the crucial route connecting Ooty with Mettupalayam.
Rescue teams subsequently brought stranded tourists, including students, to safety in Mettupalayam by Saturday evening.
Landslides along the railway track also forced the cancellation of services on the iconic Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a popular tourist attraction.
Several interior roads were cut off by earth slips, while the collapse of a retaining wall in Ooty damaged multiple cars.
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Coonoor and Kotagiri were among the worst-hit areas. According to rainfall figures for the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Saturday, Kotagiri Estate received 20 cm, while Coonoor and Alakarai Estate recorded 17 cm each. Kotagiri town received 14 cm, while Mettupalayam, at the foothills, recorded 16 cm.
Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Taneeru announced the closure of all tourist destinations in the district until further notice and advised residents and visitors to venture outdoors only when necessary.
The state government dispatched two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Arakkonam and three State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams from Chennai, comprising 60 personnel.
“The Nilgiris has been hit by heavy rainfall since last night, and forecasts indicate rain is likely to continue over the next few days,” B. Chandra Mohan, Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration, told Deccan Herald.
He said additional disaster response teams had also been deployed to Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni and Dindigul in view of the rainfall warnings.
Heavy rain has also affected Kodaikanal, another popular hill station. The IMD has issued a red alert for Theni, Dindigul and Madurai districts for Sunday.
The continuing downpour comes amid the onset of the Northeast Monsoon, Tamil Nadu's primary source of annual rainfall, raising concerns over further disruptions in vulnerable hill areas.
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