COIMBATORE: Tourists were stranded overnight on the Valparai–Pollachi ghat road after heavy rains triggered rockfalls, landslips and uprooted trees, bringing traffic to a standstill for nearly 16 hours.

Vehicular movement was restored around noon on Wednesday after joint teams from the police, forest and highways departments worked through the night to clear the boulders, soil and fallen trees blocking the road. Several tourists were forced to spend the night in their vehicles, while some cooked food along the roadside.

Valparai witnessed a surge in tourist arrivals during the extended holiday period, with many visitors beginning their return journey on Tuesday evening. The heavy traffic on the ghat road coincided with intense rainfall that lashed the region from around 7 pm, triggering rockfalls at the second and third hairpin bends.

Large boulders rolled down the slopes, while landslips and uprooted trees damaged portions of the road. With the rain continuing and darkness hampering clearance operations, traffic between Valparai and Pollachi was completely disrupted.

Government buses, cars and other tourist vehicles were stranded in long queues along the forested stretch. Passengers, including children, women and elderly people, spent the night without adequate food, drinking water, medical assistance or toilet facilities.

The disruption also affected the movement of essential commodities as the hill town has no alternative road connecting it with Pollachi. As part of the restoration efforts, heavy boulders were blasted into smaller pieces, while earthmovers were deployed to remove the debris. The Valparai Municipality, under Commissioner P Venkatalakshmanan, arranged food for stranded tourists on Wednesday morning.

Though landslips occasionally disrupt traffic on the ghat road during the monsoon, the complete shutdown of the stretch for nearly 16 hours was an unusual occurrence in recent years.

Pollachi Sub-Collector R Ramakrishnasamy said the possibility of suspending traffic on the ghat road at night during periods of intense rainfall would be considered in consultation with the district administration.