Landslide kills bus driver in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris

Heavy rain triggered landslides across Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district, killing a government bus driver near Burliar and injuring the conductor, while road closures stranded travelers and prompted rescue and clearance operations. The bus was struck by a landslide on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor road. The driver, identified in reports as Janakaraj or Janakaraj, died, and conductor Kesavan was rescued and taken to Mettupalayam Government Hospital for treatment. Reports differed over whether passengers were aboard when the slide hit: police were cited as saying three had left shortly beforehand, while another early account said rescuers were still checking the bus. The final number of people aboard was not established in the reports. Burliar recorded 250 millimeters of rain in the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. on October 24, the highest reported total in the district. Kil Kotagiri recorded 200 millimeters. District incident reports counted 19 landslips and 18 fallen-tree incidents during the 24-hour period, disrupting traffic on major ghat roads. The Coonoor-Mettupalayam route and other roads were blocked by mud, rocks and trees. Clearance work began Saturday morning, according to...