TNFRS and NDRF personnel carrying out search operations in the stream at Thenmadimangalam village in Tiruvannamalai.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Two women devotees from Chennai were washed away in a flash flood due to heavy rain on Tuesday, when they were climbing down the Parvathamalai hillock at Thenmadimangalam village near Kalasapakkam town in Tiruvannamalai district.
The deceased were identified as R. Sangatamil, 36, of Vadapalani and M. Indira, 58, of Thiruverukadu. Initial inquiry revealed that they were part of an 18-member group from Velappanchavadi village near Thiruverkadu in Chennai, which was visiting the Lord Mallikarjuna temple on the hillock.
According to the police, when the group was climbing down the hillock, the two women slipped on a rocky pathway, fell into an overflowing stream at the foothills, and were washed away.
After being alerted, Tiruvannamalai Collector K. Tharpagaraj rushed to the spot and coordinated with the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) personnel and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Arakkonam to carry out search operations.
Bodies recovered
After hours of searching, the NDRF team retrieved Indira’s body from the stream, around 3 km away from where she fell into it. Later, Sangatamil’s body was recovered from a lake at Koilmathimangalam village, around 7 km downstream from where she fell. The bodies were sent to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town for a post-mortem.
The police have registered a case and are investigating.
Published – August 13, 2025 01:03 am IST
