Parliar Landslide Traps Bus, Driver Killed in Tamil Nadu

A government bus was caught in a landslide near Parliar in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district, resulting in the death of the driver. The accident happened after the bus suffered a tyre puncture and nearly 50 passengers were safely removed from it.

The bus was heading from Coimbatore to Ooty when its tyre punctured just before it reached the affected area near Parliar. Passengers were brought out of the vehicle, and only a few minutes later a severe landslide struck the hill road.

The landslide brought down trees, stones and soil onto the bus. Rescue operations were launched immediately, and the injured conductor was pulled out and admitted to hospital.

The driver, Janagaraj, remained trapped under the debris. Although some early reports indicated that he had been rescued, rescue teams later said he was still inside the vehicle and had died. His body was retrieved after an extended search and recovery effort.

Keshavan, the conductor, said that only he and the driver were on board when the slope collapsed. "Trees began falling on the road one by one. When we tried to halt the bus safely, we were hit by the landslide," he said.

While rescue work was underway, teams also worked to remove fallen trees, rocks and mud from the road. The clearance work was being carried out on a priority basis to reopen the hill route connecting Coimbatore and Ooty, which had been blocked by the debris.