One man missing as vehicle fell into gorge during landslide in Munnar

ADIMALI: Kozhikode native Roopesh (40) went missing in a landslide in Kundala, Munnar. An 11-member tourist group got stuck in the landslide and Roopesh went missing as their ‘traveller’ fell into the gorge. The drivers and the others barely escaped. The vehicle overturned as Roopesh got inside to take his mobile phone.

The landslide occurred at around 3pm in Puthukaddy in Munnar-Vattavada road near Kundala dam. The soil and mud fell on top of the vehicle as they were traveling. They were returning after visiting Vattavada. Without realizing the danger, everyone got out except the driver and they tried to push the vehicle aside. Meanwhile, stones and soil flowed down in large scale from the top. So, the driver got out and ran aside along with the others. Then the vehicle fell into the gorge. But Roopesh couldn’t get out. Although the police and the fire force searched for hours, they couldn’t find him. After two and a half hours of searching, the ‘traveller’ was found 800 metres deep in a fully damaged condition among the rocks.

Devikulam sub collector informed that the search for Roopesh will continue today. The traffic was blocked for several hours due to landslide. It took hours of effort to restore the traffic and to pass the stuck vehicles. The District Collector has temporarily banned traffic through this route.