A retired Indian Air Force officer was killed and two women were injured on Wednesday morning after a boulder slipped from a rain-soaked hillside and struck the car in which they were travelling near Burliyar on the Coonoor–Mettupalayam ghat road in the Nilgiris.
The deceased has been identified as B. Krishnamurthy, 64, a resident of Jagathala near Ooty. According to The New Indian Express, the incident occurred at about 9.15 a.m., roughly 500 metres from Burliyar, while Krishnamurthy, family members and relatives were travelling towards Mettupalayam in a car bearing registration number TN 43 L 5832. Several parts of the Nilgiris, including Burliyar, have received incessant rain over the past few days. In the wet conditions, a large boulder slipped from the hillside and fell onto the vehicle.
Krishnamurthy, who was seated on the left side of the rear seat, sustained severe injuries. He was rushed to the Mettupalayam Government Hospital but died on the way. Doctors who examined him declared him brought dead.
His wife, K. Devagi, 60, suffered a fracture. A relative, Chinthamani, 68, of Manjoor, sustained a head injury. Both women are undergoing treatment at a private hospital near Saibaba Colony in Coimbatore. Krishnamurthy’s son, Karthik, 30, who was driving the car, and another relative, Indira, 61, escaped unhurt.
The Mettupalayam police have registered a case, and further investigation is under way.
Local reports, including accounts cited by DT Next from Daily Thanthi and a report in Dinamani, described the family as returning towards Jagathala in Aruvankadu near Coonoor after visiting relatives in Coimbatore, and placed Krishnamurthy’s age at 65. Those accounts also differ slightly on the ages of the other occupants and on whether he died en route or after admission. The New Indian Express account, filed from the Nilgiris, remains the most specific on the time, vehicle number, seating position and hospital outcome.
The stretch between Mettupalayam and Coonoor is prone to rockfall and soil slip during heavy rain. Over the preceding two days, the area had already seen soil slips and trees falling onto the road.
