Retired IAF Officer B. Krishnamurthy Killed as Boulder Hits Car in Nilgiris
A retired Indian Air Force officer was killed and two women were injured on Wednesday morning after a boulder rolled down a rain-soaked hillside and smashed into the car they were travelling in near Burliyar on the Coonoor–Mettupalayam ghat road in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district.
The deceased was identified as B. Krishnamurthy, 64, a resident of Jagathala near Ooty. According to The New Indian Express, the accident took place around 9.15 a.m., about 500 metres from Burliyar, when Krishnamurthy, family members and relatives were on their way to Mettupalayam in a car bearing registration number TN 43 L 5832. The Nilgiris, including Burliyar, have been receiving continuous rain for the past several days, and the wet conditions caused a large boulder to slip from the hillside and strike the vehicle.
Krishnamurthy, who was seated on the left side of the rear seat, suffered severe injuries. He was taken towards the Mettupalayam Government Hospital, but died on the way. Doctors who examined him declared him brought dead.
His wife, K. Devagi, 60, sustained a fracture, while a relative, Chinthamani, 68, of Manjoor, suffered a head injury. Both were admitted to a private hospital near Saibaba Colony in Coimbatore, where they are undergoing treatment. Krishnamurthy’s son, Karthik, 30, who was driving the car, and another relative, Indira, 61, escaped unhurt.
The Mettupalayam police have registered a case and further investigation is under way.
Local reports, including accounts cited by DT Next from Daily Thanthi and a report in Dinamani, said the family was returning towards Jagathala in Aruvankadu near Coonoor after visiting relatives in Coimbatore. Those reports placed Krishnamurthy’s age at 65 and gave slightly different ages for the other occupants, while also differing on whether he died en route or after admission. The New Indian Express account, filed from the Nilgiris, was the most specific on the time of the incident, the vehicle number, the seating position and the hospital outcome.
The road stretch between Mettupalayam and Coonoor is known to be vulnerable to rockfalls and soil slips during heavy rain. In the two days before Wednesday’s incident, the area had already reported soil slips and trees falling onto the road.
