Ooty-Mettupalayam route
As heavy rain pounded the route, 44 high school students remained in the bus, blissfully unaware of the danger outside. They set out around 9.30pm, planning to spend the night at Mettupalayam before heading home on Saturday morning. Around 105 class XII students from St Thomas HSS, with eight teachers, were on a separate excursion and were also forced to spend the night in their bus.
As the roads were blocked due to the mudslides and fallen trees, they had to leave their buses there and walk some distance to board vehicles arranged by the authorities. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news.
Father Josy Erathedath, one of the accompanying teachers, said a rock fell onto the road just as their bus approached. Erathedath said mud fell on a Tamil Nadu transport bus that was travelling ahead of them, trapping several passengers. Kottayam: For the teachers of St Antony’s HSS, Pala, the hardest part of Friday night was shielding the students, who were on a school trip and got stranded on the Ooty-Mettupalayam route, from what was unfolding around them. The teachers kept the gravity of the situation from them to avoid panic. The children passed the hours playing and chatting. The group that had visited Mysuru and Ooty were on their way back when the heavy rains lashed the region. It was soon cleared and they continued their journey, but the respite was short. Soon a tree fell across the road, and they had to halt again. As the rain continued, mudslides occurred, leaving the vehicle hemmed in, forcing the students, five teachers and the bus crew to remain inside the vehicle until morning. He contacted the Mettupalayam police station and reached out to Tamil Nadu minister V Sampath Kumar. The police arrived in the morning and gave the students tea and snacks. Meanwhile, a second group from Pala was caught in the same weather. Father Regi Thengumpallil, who was with them, later thanked the police and authorities for ensuring their safety. Though mudslides hit several parked vehicles in the area that night, neither school’s buses were damaged. By Saturday morning, after the authorities arrived, the students from both the schools were moved to Sachidanandan Jyothi Niketan School en route to Mettupalayam. They were served breakfast there, and the Mettupalayam school arranged a bus to take the St Antony’s group back to Pala. Later the students from St Thomas HSS continued their journey back home in a bus arranged by minister Sampath Kumar. Download the TOI App.