Heavy rain disrupts normalcy in Nilgiris, Coimbatore
Due to a red alert, the tourist spots maintained by the forest department like Doddabetta Viewpoint, Pine Forest, Avalanche, and Pykkara were closed and will remain shut on Monday too
File photo
COIMBATORE: As rains accompanied by heavy winds battered the Nilgiris, a 15-year-old boy from Kerala died after a tree branch fell on him.
The deceased, Adhi Dev (15), from Kozhikode, came to Ooty on a trip with his family members. “They stopped the car near the eighth mile in the Pine Forest area on the Ooty-Gudalur National Highway and were taking photos when a tree branch fell on him,” police said. The fire and rescue personnel rushed him to Ooty Government Medical College Hospital, however, he died on the way.
Trees that fell at multiple locations resulted in roadblocks and power outages across the hills. The fire and rescue personnel had a tough time removing the fallen trees at Ketti, Thalaikundha, Ooty Boat House area, and Kotagiri.
Due to a red alert, the tourist spots maintained by the forest department like Doddabetta Viewpoint, Pine Forest, Avalanche, and Pykkara were closed and will remain shut on Monday too. The tourists, disappointed by the closure of the tourist destinations, stayed indoors in hotels and resorts.
In another rain-related incident, three persons – Anto Thomas (55), Arun Thomas (43), both from Malappuram in Kerala, and Rajesh, an anti-poaching watcher from ‘O’ Valley forest range were trapped in a car while crossing a flooded river near ‘Sunnambu palam’ in Gudalur on Saturday night.
On receiving information, a team of rescue personnel from Gudalur arrived and saved the trio by tying a rope. The car was tied to trees to prevent it from getting washed away.
In Coimbatore, an elderly couple, Palanirangan (85), and his wife Rasammal (85), were injured after a damp wall of their house collapsed on them at the MGR area in Madukkarai Taluk on Saturday midnight. They were admitted to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).
Around five houses were damaged in Devipattinam in Anaimalai, Sirumugai, and Kinathukadavu areas. Tree falls were reported in different parts of the Valparai region.
Following heavy rains, the water level in the Pillur dam surged by eight feet from 79 feet on Saturday to 87 feet on Sunday.
Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise S Muthusamy, who took stock of the contingency measures in Coimbatore, said arrangements are in place to shelter affected people in relief camps. On Sunday, the city witnessed intermittent drizzles in the morning and mild rain in the late evening.
