Bodies of seven people killed in Tiruvannamalai landslide recovered; experts on site to assess mishap

On Tuesday Chief Minister MK Stalin issued a statement expressing his deepest condolences and offering comfort to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.
NDRF personnel during rescue work in a flood-hit area in the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, in Tiruvannamalai.
NDRF personnel during rescue work in a flood-hit area in the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, in Tiruvannamalai.Photo | Express
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TIRUVANNAMALAI: The bodies of two more people trapped in the landslide in Tiruvannamalai district were recovered on Tuesday. The rescue team had earlier on Monday recovered the bodies of the other five people who got trapped.

The landslide had buried two adjacent houses in VOC Nagar, 11th Street.

The deceased, which included two adults and five children, were N. Rajkumar (28), R. Meena (27), their children R. Gowtham (9) and R. Iniya (5) and three more children - S. Ramya (7), M. Vinothini (14), and M. Maha (7) - from two neighbouring families.

Rajkumar's body was retrieved on Tuesday morning, followed by Ramya’s body in the afternoon.

An official from the rescue team stated, "We retrieved five other bodies, which were unearthed from houses buried under mud On Monday. However, it was particularly challenging to retrieve the bodies of Rajkumar and Ramya, as they were trapped under heavy rocks."

The bodies were sent to the Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital postmortem. The families of the seven people confirmed identified the deceased. "The government has announced Rs 5 lakh in ex gratia for us. However, we have nothing, and we are left with only the clothes we are wearing. It would be better if the government could provide us more support," said M.A. Manjunathan, the father of deceased Vinothini and Maha, speaking to TNIE

Meanwhile, a team of retired IIT Madras professors, including Narasimma Rao, Boominathan, and Mohan, visited the landslide site to collect sand samples for further analysis. "We took samples from the Annamalaiyar Hills to assess the likelihood of further landslides in the area,” one of them said.

On Tuesday Chief Minister MK Stalin issued a statement expressing his deepest condolences and offering comfort to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident. "I have also directed the release of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's General Relief Fund," he added.

NDRF personnel during rescue work in a flood-hit area in the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, in Tiruvannamalai.
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Tiruvannamalai District Collector D. Baskara Pandian addressed the press and confirmed, “All seven bodies have been retrieved and sent to the Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital. There are no further missing persons. We will release relief funds for each family as per the chief minister's instructions.”

On Tuesday morning, relatives of the deceased staged a protest, blocking roads in Tiruvannamalai to expedite the rescue process. However, after discussions with officials, the crowd dispersed, sources said.

The rescue operation involved more than 200 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Commando Services, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, and local police.

NDRF personnel during rescue work in a flood-hit area in the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, in Tiruvannamalai.
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