TN | Another landslide hits Tiruvannamalai near spot where 7 of family trapped

A second landslide hit the Tamil Nadu temple town of Tiruvannamalai on Monday (December 2), a day after a first led to a boulder falling on a residential building and trapping seven members of a family, of whom six have died. The second landslide was at a spot near a local temple.

The first landslide occurred on Sunday on the lower slopes of the famous Annamalaiyar Hill after heavy rainfall, courtesy Cyclone Fengal, which crossed the coast Saturday afternoon near capital Chennai, battered the district.

Rescue operations aided by a team of experts from IIT, Chennai, are ongoing, but have been hampered by heavy rain and the threat of another boulder balanced precariously further uphill. 

Meanwhile, Villupuram continues to reel under unprecedented flooding, while the depression, the remnant of cyclonic storm Fengal over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, weakened into a well-marked low pressure area on Monday, the India Meteorological Department said.

Also read: TN: Cyclone Fengal leaves trail of destruction; 19 dead, Villupuram hit by flood fury

Villupuram town, nearby towns and villages, have borne the brunt of the rain fury and raging flood water gushed towards low-lying areas.

The cyclone, which made landfall near Tamil Nadu’s coast on Saturday (November 30) has left at least 19 dead while leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The most affected have been Puducherry and Cuddalore and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu.

While relief and rescue operations are underway in the flood-affected regions of the state, the government has declared holidays for schools in several districts.