Nilgiris landslides kill bus driver and disrupt traffic in Tamil Nadu

Heavy overnight rainfall in the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu triggered multiple landslides, causing significant destruction and fatalities. A government bus traveling from Coonoor to Mettupalayam was buried by a torrent of mud, rocks, and uprooted trees near Burliyar.

The bus driver, Janagaraj, died from his injuries after being trapped in the crushed cabin. The conductor, Kesavan, was rescued from the debris and is receiving medical treatment. Approximately 40 to 50 passengers had alighted from the vehicle shortly before the landslide occurred due to a prior tyre puncture, narrowly avoiding the disaster.

More than 100 students from Kerala, traveling in buses following the government vehicle, also escaped unharmed after their convoy halted approximately 300 meters from the site. However, the landslides left hundreds of vehicles stranded on the mountainous highway. Emergency teams, including the Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force, worked to clear debris and restore connectivity on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam National Highway.