A day after a first landslip in which a rock fell on a residential building, killing a family of seven, a second landslip struck the Tamil Nadu temple town of Tiruvannamalai Monday afternoon. After the region was pummelling by severe rainfall caused by Cyclone Fengal, which crossed the coast Saturday afternoon near the capital Chennai, the first event was held on Sunday at 4.30 pm on the lower slopes of the iconic Annamalaiyar Hill.
Heavy rain and the possibility of another boulder balanced dangerously further uphill have hindered rescue efforts, which are still underway and are being assisted by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai. The location of the second landslip was close to a nearby shrine.
Since Fengal made landfall, the southern state has seen a lot of rain. Two days later, on Monday, the rains persisted, causing the northern Tamil Nadu district of Viluppuram to experience unheard-of floods. Damaged bridges and overflowing water essentially cut off access to villages and residential colonies, ruined acres of crops, and disrupted rail traffic. Record floods also occurred in portions of the districts of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri in western Tamil Nadu. In the 24 hours until 8.30 am, Uthangarai in Krishnagiri received 50 centimetres, Villupuram 42 cm, Harur in Dharmapuri 33 cm, and Cuddalore and Tiruvannamalai 16 cm. Videos of cars being carried off the road by floodwaters have surfaced online, including big buses at the Uthangiri bus terminal where it has been raining for 14 hours in a row.
The leftovers of the cyclone, which is currently positioned as a strong low-pressure region over the northern section of the state, are responsible for the exceptionally heavy rainfall that has been recorded in parts of Tamil Nadu, a senior Weather Department official told a news agency. These leftovers are actually so potent that rainfall warnings have also been issued for southern Karnataka and northern Kerala. By December 3, the India Meteorological Department predicted that the system would have intensified as it passed over northern Kerala and Karnataka on its way to the Arabian Sea. A portion of Chennai’s airport flooded over the weekend, and numerous flight cancellations affected hundreds of travellers. Operations were halted until Sunday at 4 a.m.
At least two people have died so far, one of whom was a migrant worker who tried to withdraw cash from an ATM in Chennai. He was reportedly electrocuted. Fengal skirted the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this week, killing at least 12 people including six children.
