Rescue operations under way at Periyakanal in Munnar after a minibus fell into a tea plantation on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A 58-year-old woman was killed and several others were seriously injured after a minibus carrying tourists plunged into a tea plantation at Periyakanal, near Munnar, on Thursday.
The accident occurred around 4 p.m. on the Munnar-Bodimettu stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway.
The police identified the deceased as Stella Mary, 58, of Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu.
According to officials, a 29-member group from Virudhunagar and Aruppukottai was returning after visiting Munnar. As the minibus navigated the Periyakanal curve, the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and fall into a 50-foot-deep tea plantation.
Residents and passengers of other vehicles rushed to the spot and initiated rescue operations. Although the seriously injured Stella Mary was rushed to the Tata General Hospital in Munnar, her life could not be saved. Twenty-two injured tourists were admitted to the Tata hospital, while six others were shifted to the Theni Medical College Hospital.
Published – May 14, 2026 09:01 pm IST
