3-year-old among two killed as trees fall due to rains in Valparai, Nilgiris

COIMBATORE:  A three-and-a-half-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man died as trees got uprooted and fell on them in separate rain-related incidents in Valparai and Nilgiris on Wednesday.

Police said Muthukumar (40) a labourer was taking his son Mugilan and daughter Subha Shree to the child care centre at Sheikalmudi Estate around 8.15 am, when the tragedy unfolded.

“The boy was sitting on his father’s shoulders, while the girl was walking. As they neared the child care centre, a tree got uprooted in strong winds and fell on the father-son duo, while the girl managed to escape unhurt. The father and son were trapped beneath the fallen tree,” police said.

The other workers removed the tree and rushed the father and boy to Murugali Estate Hospital, where doctors examined and found the boy to have died already.

The critically injured Muthukumar has been referred to a private hospital in Pollachi for treatment. The body of the boy was sent for a post mortem at Valparai Government Hospital. Valparai has been receiving rains on and off over the last two weeks.

As he was working, Alagusundaram (40) of Kadasholai village in Kotagiri was engaged to remove weak trees and branches near power lines and electric posts, in the wake of a bus driver losing his life due to electrocution after a dangling live wire came into contact with the bus a few days ago in Kovilmattam.

Police said Alagusundaram was crushed to death by a tree, which fell on him. His body has been sent for a post-mortem at Kotagiri Government Hospital.

He is survived by his wife, five year old son, and one year old daughter. Traffic was disrupted on several parts of Valparai and Nilgiris due to multiple incidents of tree falls on the ghat road.