Nilgiris district hit by 62 landslips following heavy rains

Sixty-two landslips struck the ecologically fragile Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu within a twenty-four-hour period ending at seven in the morning on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Official data shows heavy damage to infrastructure, including fifteen partly damaged huts, one fully collapsed hut, sixteen damaged revetments, two high-tension poles, nine low-tension poles, one distribution transformer, and twenty-eight uprooted trees. The district recorded a cumulative total rainfall of 453.9 millimetres with an average of 14.64 millimetres. Parsons Valley in Udhagamandalam taluk recorded the highest rainfall at 52 millimetres.

Traffic and Railways

Traffic along the Mettupalayam-Coonoor stretch remains suspended, with vehicles diverted to the Mettupalayam-Kotagiri Road between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tourism activities in the district are suspended for three days starting Saturday. A man and his son suffered injuries when a tree fell onto their house at Ketti, and trees damaged houses on Avalanche road and near Rose Garden in Udhagamandalam. The landslip site near Burliyar, where a TNSTC bus was trapped on the night between Friday and Saturday resulting in the driver's death and injuries to the conductor, remains precarious. Coimbatore Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar stated that experts are evaluating how to safely remove remaining boulders on the slope without causing further damage. Southern Railway also suspended Nilgiri Mountain Railway services between Mettupalayam and Coonoor due to debris and boulders blocking the track at over twenty-five places.

Context

Mountainous regions like the Nilgiris often experience severe landslips and infrastructure damage during heavy monsoon rains due to steep slopes and fragile soil structures. Authorities routinely suspend transport and tourism services during such weather alerts to prevent further loss of life and property.