A 35-year-old woman was killed and her two children injured when their house was caught in a landslide on the Udhagamandalam-Coonoor road early this morning.

About 20 landslides have been reported in Nilgiris  district, which has been experiencing heavy rains since Friday morning, cutting off  this tourist town from other areas.

The woman and her two children _ a 14-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy  _ were asleep in their house when the landslide occurred at Nondimedu on the Ooty-Coonoor road around 1.30 am.

Fire service personnel, police and members of the public took two hours to clear the debris. However, the woman was buried alive, while the injured children have been admitted to the government hospital, official sources said.
This hill town has been totally cut off from the highways leading from Mysore, Kerala and also Coimbatore due to landslides.

Debris cleared
The administration and locals managed to clear the debris for movement of smaller vehicles, they said.

About 50 small houses were caught under landslide near Lovedale railway station. However, there were no casualties.

The services of Heritage train, Nilgiris Mountain Rail (NMR) between Mettupalayam and Coonoor have been suspended till November 1, due to heavy landslips on the tracks.

According to official sources, mud and boulders have fallen on the track near Aderley station, due to heavy rains being experienced since Friday morning. Restoration works are under progress and would take at least two days for completion. The train, however, would run between Udhagamandalam and Coonoor.