Nilgiris landslide kills bus driver Janagaraj; 50 passengers escape after tyre puncture
Synopsis
A tyre puncture that seemed like bad luck turned out to save 50 lives. Moments after passengers stepped off a government bus near Parliyar in the Nilgiris, a landslide buried the vehicle — killing driver Janagaraj and injuring conductor Kesavan. The two crew members had no time to escape.
Key Takeaways
Bus driver Janagaraj died after a landslide buried his government bus near Parliyar , Nilgiris district , on 24 October 2026 .
Around 50 passengers had stepped off the bus minutes earlier due to a tyre puncture, sparing them from the landslide.
Conductor Kesavan was rescued with injuries by Fire and Rescue Services personnel and taken to hospital.
Earlier reports of the driver's safe rescue were corrected after his body was recovered from beneath the debris.
The bus was on the Coimbatore–Ooty route when the hillside collapsed, sending trees, boulders and soil onto the road.
Road clearance work was underway on an urgent basis to restore traffic on the hill route.
Bus driver Janagaraj died on 24 October 2026 after a landslide engulfed his government bus near Parliyar in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district, minutes after roughly 50 passengers had disembarked following a tyre puncture on the Coimbatore–Ooty hill route. The conductor, Kesavan, was pulled out injured by Fire and Rescue Services personnel and taken to hospital. Janagaraj's body was recovered after a prolonged retrieval operation beneath the debris — correcting earlier reports that had incorrectly suggested he had been rescued safely.
How the incident unfolded
The government bus was travelling from Coimbatore to Ooty when it developed a tyre puncture shortly before the landslide-prone stretch near Parliyar. The passengers were asked to step off the vehicle. Within minutes of their departure, the hillside gave way, sending trees, boulders and earth cascading onto the road and burying the bus.
Conductor Kesavan, speaking after his rescue, said the crew had no warning before the collapse began. 'Only the driver and I were in the bus. Trees began falling across the road one after another. As we tried to stop the bus safely, we were caught in the landslide,' he said.
Rescue operation and confirmation of death
Emergency teams from the Fire and Rescue Services launched operations immediately after the landslide. Kesavan was brought to safety with injuries. Efforts to reach Janagaraj continued for an extended period amid heavy debris accumulation. Rescuers eventually recovered his body, formally confirming that the accident had claimed one life. The earlier reports of his safe rescue were subsequently clarified as incorrect by the rescue teams.
The near-miss that saved 50 lives
The sequence of events — puncture, passenger evacuation, then landslide — meant that the breakdown, ordinarily a minor inconvenience, effectively kept the 50 passengers off the bus at the precise moment the debris struck. Had the puncture not occurred, or had passengers still been aboard during the short delay, the toll could have been far higher. Notably, the crew members had no opportunity to evacuate before the material came down.
Road clearance and restoration
Clearance teams worked on an urgent basis to remove fallen trees, boulders and soil from the affected stretch of the hill road connecting Coimbatore with Ooty. The work was ongoing as of the latest reports, with traffic on the route disrupted. The Nilgiris district has seen recurring landslide incidents on its steep hill roads, particularly during and after the monsoon season, raising persistent questions about route safety and early-warning systems for drivers.
Point of View
No protocol to abandon the vehicle, and no escape window once the hillside moved. Tamil Nadu's hill roads see landslide advisories issued after collapses, not before them. Until real-time slope-monitoring and mandatory crew evacuation drills become standard on high-risk routes, the next incident will again hinge on chance.
NationPress
24 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Nilgiris landslide on 24 October 2026?
A government bus travelling from Coimbatore to Ooty was buried by a landslide near Parliyar in the Nilgiris district on 24 October 2026. Driver Janagaraj died and conductor Kesavan was injured; around 50 passengers had disembarked minutes earlier after a tyre puncture and escaped unhurt.
How did the 50 passengers survive the Nilgiris landslide?
The passengers survived because a tyre puncture forced them off the bus shortly before the landslide struck. Within minutes of their departure, the hillside collapsed, burying the vehicle. The breakdown inadvertently kept them out of harm's way.
Who was the bus driver killed in the Nilgiris landslide?
The driver was identified as Janagaraj, an employee of the government bus service operating the Coimbatore–Ooty route. His body was recovered after a prolonged rescue operation beneath the landslide debris.
What did conductor Kesavan say about the incident?
Conductor Kesavan, who was rescued with injuries, said that only he and the driver remained on the bus when the landslide hit. He described trees falling across the road one after another as they tried to bring the vehicle to a safe stop before being caught in the collapse.
Were earlier reports about the driver's rescue accurate?
No. Initial reports had suggested that driver Janagaraj had been rescued safely, but rescue teams subsequently clarified that he had remained trapped inside the vehicle and had died. His body was recovered after the prolonged retrieval operation.
