People gather near the accident site involving a van on the winding Valparai-Pollachi road in the Coimbatore district on April 17, 2026. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Nine members of a 12-member tourist group from Malappuram district in Kerala were killed when their van plunged off a hairpin bend on the ghat road at Valparai in Coimbatore district on Friday (April 17, 2026). The remaining members of the group were admitted to hospitals with injuries. Three of the critically injured were shifted from Pollachi to a hospital in Coimbatore for advanced treatment. The van reportedly fell from hairpin bend 13 to hairpin bend 9 between 5.15 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. The ghat section of the Valparai-Pollachi Road has a total of 40 hairpin bends. Seven women and a 12-year-old boy were among the deceased. Published – April 17, 2026 11:01 pm IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation Melur constituency voters expect protection of natural resources From ultra left to campaigner for Tamil Brahmins