Tue Dec 03 19:14:35 UTC 2024: ## IIT-Madras Team Investigates Deadly Tiruvannamalai Landslide; Recommendations Due
**Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, December 4, 2024** – A four-member team from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) is investigating a devastating landslide in Tiruvannamalai that claimed the lives of seven people, including five children, on Sunday. The team, comprised of civil and environmental engineering professors, inspected the site on Tuesday and found that continuous rainfall weakened the soil and rocks on the Arunachala Hill, leading to the collapse of a large boulder onto a house.
The landslide occurred near the Arunachaleswarar temple, burying Rajkumar’s family under debris. While five bodies were recovered Monday evening, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) recovered two more bodies – Rajkumar and his daughter – on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, grieving family members protested the delay in recovery efforts, but were later pacified by authorities who assured them of continued support.
Professor S. Mohan of the IIT-M team stated that the team will submit its recommendations to the State government within two days. The report is expected to address building safety concerns for structures on the foothills, given the unstable geological conditions. The investigation aims to determine the precise causes of the landslide and suggest preventative measures for future incidents.
First Piper 