Major landslide on Coimbatore-Siruvani dam road; no casualties

COIMBATORE: A major landslide occured on the Coimbatore-Siruvani dam road today under the impact of heavy rains and totally paralysed traffic from both sides, but no casualties have so far been reported, police said.

The soil had loosened due to heavy rains in Western ghats area over the past few days and suddenly came down at the 14th bend area, bringing down trees and boulders, they said.

Forest department officials are engaged in clearing the debris, they said.

Meanwhile,the administration banned tourists from visiting or bathing in Kovai Kutralam waterfalls, falling under the Siruvani mountain range in this district, due to heavy flow of water in the area for the last one week following heavy rains.

Coimbatore district, bordering Kerala,has been experiencing heavy rains over the past few days under the influence of the South West monsoon, which set in over that state last month.

In Kerala, the monsoon rains have wrought havoc, killing 54 persons so far, 13 of them in a major landslide at Kattippara in Kozhikode district.