COIMBATORE/OOTY: In the past two days, at least five persons were killed in The Nilgiris in separate incidents due to the incessant rainfall. As on Friday morning, the Nilgiris recorded an average rainfall of about 220.51 mm with Avalanche receiving nearly 911 mm of rain.
The victims were identified as K Amudha (38) and her daughter Bhuvana (8), who were killed in the building collapse in Indira Nagar near Pykara. In another incident, two women working in the horticulture department were washed away by rising floodwaters while crossing a stream near Nanjanad. Sources said a migrant labourer identified as Sajeev (30) was found dead in Kattukuppai near Emerald on Friday.
Also on the flip side, several houses constructed along the banks of Noyyal River in Coimbatore district were inundated due to an increase in the water flow on Friday morning. The officials safely shifted the residents from the areas to relief camps. Azad Nagar and Saramedu in Karumbukadai, Ambedkar Nagar and Kamatchipuram in Ondipudur, a portion of Selvapuram were inundated. There were few instances of boundary walls collapsing.
Child missing in flash flood
A massive search was launched for a two-and-half-year-old girl washed away in the flash flood from her home while she was asleep with her family at a tribal village near Sarkarpathy powerhouse in Pollachi on Thursday night. Her family members trapped in the deluge were later rescued.
“Around 12 pm, a landslide near the powerhouse blocked the flow of water into the Contour Canal leading to Thirumoorthi dam. As a result, water gushed into the Lower Nagarooth tribal village and inundated around 20 mud houses in a flash. Strong winds made the matter worse,” said a functionary of Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association V S Paramasivam.
Fire and Rescue team, Forest and Revenue Department officials, along with public, have initiated a search for the missing child. To aid the rescue operation, water release in the Contour canal has been temporarily stopped.