Valparai, Apr 18:
Nine people were killed and four others, including the driver, sustained critical injuries after a tourist van carrying passengers from Kerala fell into a deep gorge in the Valparai hills of Coimbatore district on Friday.
According to officials, the accident occurred on the steep Valparai–Pollachi hill road when the vehicle lost control while descending a hairpin bend. The van, carrying 13 people from Malappuram district in Kerala, reportedly hit a roadside barrier at the 13th hairpin bend before plunging into the gorge.
Rescue teams rushed to the spot and carried out operations to retrieve passengers from the wreckage. The injured were immediately shifted to nearby hospitals, where they are undergoing treatment for critical injuries.