Cyclone Fengal: Five Children Among Seven Trapped After Landslide in TN

In a tragic incident on Sunday night, seven people, including five children, were trapped after a landslide struck VOC Nagar, located at the foot of Annamalaiyar Hills in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai district. 

The landslide, believed to have been triggered by heavy rains caused by Cyclone Fengal, buried several houses, with two adults and five children unaccounted for.

District Collector D. Bhaskar Pandian confirmed that the missing individuals were likely trapped under the debris, as they could not be traced. Rescue operations faced initial delays due to the presence of a large rock over the debris. However, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local police have since joined efforts to rescue those trapped.

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall along the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu coast on November 30, weakened into a deep depression by Sunday but continued to cause heavy rainfall across the region. This led to flooding in parts of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, prompting the closure of all schools and colleges in these areas on Monday.

Air travel was also affected as operations at Chennai airport were suspended on Saturday but resumed at 1 am the following day. Despite cancellations and delays, flights eventually returned to normal. Additionally, three trains were canceled due to the cyclone’s impact.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Fengal has weakened further and is expected to gradually move westward, diminishing into a depression over north Tamil Nadu in the next 12 hours.