CHENNAI: The city police are investigating the death of a woman whose body washed ashore in Marina Beach on Sunday morning. A passerby alerted police about a woman lying in the Kallu Kuttai area behind the memorial of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Acting on the information, the Anna Square police rushed to the spot and recovered the body. The woman's head was found severely damaged, making identification difficult, police said.

The police then moved the body to the Government Royapettah Hospital for a post-mortem examination and have begun checking recent missing-person reports filed across various police stations in the city, fitting the description of the woman. The woman appeared to be about thirty years old.

Investigations are under way to find if it is a case of suicide, accidental drowning or murder. "We are awaiting preliminary post-mortem results, after which we will get a clearer picture," a police official said.