Rock falls on car on Coonoor Ghat road, one killed

A 65-year-old retired Air Force personnel was killed and his wife seriously injured after a boulder fell on their car on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor ghat road on Wednesday.
Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts have been receiving heavy rain accompanied by strong winds for the past two days. The weather has triggered landslips and uprooted trees at several places along the Mettupalayam-Coonoor mountain road.
Krishnamurthy, 65, son of Belli, a resident of Aruvankadu Jagathala near Coonoor, was travelling with his wife Devaki, 54, their son Karthi, 29, and relatives Indira, 68, and Chinthamani, 62, to visit a relative who was unwell at Saibaba Colony in Coimbatore.
When their car was passing the lower section of Barliar on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor road in the morning, a boulder rolled down and fell on the rear portion of the vehicle. Krishnamurthy and Devaki, who were seated at the back, sustained serious injuries.
Local residents rescued the injured and rushed them to the Mettupalayam Government Hospital. Doctors examined Krishnamurthy and declared him dead on arrival.
Devaki, who suffered serious injuries, was shifted to Coimbatore Government Hospital for further treatment.