Cyclone Fengal aftermath: Rescuers pull out 4 bodies from Tiruvannamalai landslide; several interior districts affected

Chennai: After struggling for about 12 hours, rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Monday evening pulled out four bodies from the rubbles of a house in Tiruvannamalai which was struck by a landslide due to heavy rains induced by Cyclone Fengal. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said the remaining three persons who were trapped in the house are presumed dead.

The trail of destruction left by the slow-moving cyclone, which dumped record rains of 50 cm even in interior districts like Krishnagiri apart from many coastal districts, was visible on Monday with over 150 villages in Villupuram and Cuddalore alone still cut-off from the rest of the state.

Cars and vehicles were washed away from the bus stand in Uthangarai in Krishnagiri, even as train traffic between Chennai and southern districts were affected for over 12 hours due to overflowing of water over a railway bridge between Vikravandi and Mundiyampakkam in Villupuram. While over 50 trains were affected, road traffic between Chennai and Tiruchirapalli was also affected due to inundation on the National Highway and near-by villages.

With the seven deaths due to landslides, the death toll in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry rose to at least 20 as fears mount that the number could increase once rescuers reach the cut-off villages and towns. The overflowing lakes and ponds in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai, and Krishnagiri marooned several villages and towns, causing severe inconvenience to lakhs of people.

NDRF and SDRF teams worked day and night to rescue people from knee-deep and waist-deep water in many localities in cyclone-prone Cuddalore, where the situation continued to be grim just like Villupuram, and Tiruvannamalai.

In Tiruvannamalai, a team of about 160 rescuers worked for over 12 hours to save people who were trapped in the landslide on the foothills of Annamalaiyar Hills on Sunday. The district administration said a couple, their two children, and three children from the neighbourhood were inside the house when houses in the locality were affected after huge boulders fell on them.

“We were hoping to rescue them alive. Unfortunately, they are no more. We have been able to recover four bodies so far. Operations are on to pull out the three bodies,” Udhayanidhi said after visiting the site.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, who visited Villupuram and met with the affected, said Cyclone Fengal has wreaked unprecedented havoc across 14 districts, affecting 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore people, inundating 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland, and damaging critical infrastructure. 

“Given the magnitude of destruction and the urgent need for restoration, I humbly request immediate release of an interim relief amounting to Rs. 2,000 crores from the NDRF,” Stalin said. In Puducherry, Chief Minister N Rangasamy announced that all ration holders will receive an assistance of Rs 5,000 to handle the flood situation. 

In a letter to Modi, Stalin said the catastrophic event has resulted in loss of 2,416 huts, 721 houses and 963 cattle, inundation of 2,11,139 hectares of agricultural and horticultural land, and damage to 9,576 km of roads. 

As many as 4,269 Anganwadi Centers, 205 Primary Health Centers, 5,936 school buildings, 381 community halls and 623 water supply schemes have also been damaged, the Chief Minister added.