Tiruvannamalai: The bodies of five children and a couple were recovered on Monday from the rubble of their home at the base of a hillock in Tiruvannamalai, 20 hours after being buried under a massive landslide. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force (TNDRF) conducted rescue operations under challenging conditions, as the risk of another landslide loomed due to the loosened soil caused by torrential rains in the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal.
The cyclone has unleashed severe rainfall across Tamil Nadu, with districts like Krishnagiri and Salem experiencing heavy downpours from Sunday morning through Monday morning. Uthangarai in Krishnagiri recorded an astonishing 50 cm of rainfall, according to district collector K M Sarayu.
Meanwhile, landslides disrupted transportation on the Salem-Yercaud ghat road, prompting officials to suspend all vehicular movement until further notice. Salem collector R Brinda Devi confirmed multiple landslides in the region due to continuous rain.
In Coimbatore and its surrounding areas, rain persisted through the night, prompting heavy rainfall alerts for Coimbatore and Nilgiris until December 3. Additionally, several areas in Cuddalore and Villupuram districts were submerged after water released from dams caused breaches in lake bunds.
Amid the devastation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has sought immediate financial assistance of ₹2,000 crore from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to undertake urgent relief and rehabilitation measures.
Authorities are on high alert as the relentless rain continues to pose significant challenges to rescue efforts and infrastructure across the state.
