COIMBATORE: A 64-year-old retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer was killed after a boulder rolled down a hillside and crashed onto his car while he was travelling on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam Road near Barliyar on Wednesday morning.
He was travelling from Coonoor towards Mettupalayam with his wife Devaki, 56, son Karthik, 29, and two other relatives. The family started their journey around 8.30am with Karthik at the wheel, Mettupalayam police said. Around 9.20am, when the car was around 500metre downhill from Barliyar, a boulder suddenly dislodged from the hillside and fell onto the vehicle, seriously injuring Krishnamoorthi who was seated in the front.
Police identified the deceased as Krishnamoorthi of Jagathala near Coonoor. He was rushed to Mettupalayam Government Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The other occupants suffered minor injuries. The Mettupalayam police are investigating the incident.