CHENNAI: Two more bodies have been recovered from the landslide in Tiruvannamalai on Tuesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven.
The rescue teams, now on their third day of operations, have successfully retrieved the bodies of all seven victims trapped under the debris, according to a Daily Thanthi report.
Earlier reports revealed that seven people had been trapped inside a house that was buried under the landslide.
The victims were identified as Rajkumar (32), his wife Meena (26), their children Gautam (9) and Iniya (7), and Rajkumar's relatives Maha (12), Vinodhini (14), and Ramya (12).
The landslides occurred due to the heavy rains caused by Cyclone Fengal in the Bay of Bengal, which led to three separate landslides in the region.
In the VOC nagar area of Tiruvannamalai, a house was completely buried, trapping the seven residents inside.
While five bodies were recovered on Monday, the recovery operation continued for the remaining two victims, whose bodies have now been found.
As part of the ongoing investigation, soil testing experts from IIT Madras are conducting research in the areas where the landslide occurred.
According to this, the team is investigating what is the cause of the landslide.
It is expected that the Tamil Nadu government will take further steps based on their report.