A woman who was washed ashore alive after attempting to drown herself alongside her parents and four sisters claims she was raped by two fisherman who found her lying unconscious on the beach.

The victim and her family had attempted a mass suicide on December 18 after they were evicted from their home in Puducherry, India.

Two of the sisters and the mother drowned while the two other sisters, the victim and the father were washed ashore at different locations along the coast.

Scene: A woman who attempted to commit suicide by drowning herself in the sea claims she was raped by two fisherman who found her washed up on the shore near Puducherry, India (pictured)

The victim, who was found around a kilometre from the scene of the suicide attempt, says she was raped while lying unconscious on the shore.

Police reviewed security camera recordings from hotels and guesthouses in the area and noticed two men acting suspiciously at the time of the attack.

The two suspects, identified as crabcatchers S Raja, 35 and his relative K Vijaykumar, 32, from Pillaichavadi, Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, were arrested the next day.

Senior superintendent of police V J Chandran c;laims they have confessed to raping the woman.

The family had been living in an ashram, a type of small monastery that are common across India, when they were evicted following a Supreme Court order.

India is fighting an endemic rape culture which first came to international attention brought in 2012 by the shocking case of a woman who died after being gang raped in New Delhi.

Indian protesters hold banners and wear black ribbons during a rally in New Delhi following the cremation of a gangrape victim in the Indian capital

The country brought in tougher laws last year against sexual offenders after the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi in December 2012, but they have failed to stem the tide of violence against women.

A survey published last week said 91 per cent of women also saw no improvements in safety despite a slew of measures rolled out in the aftermath of the attack including improved policing, women's helplines and fast-track courts as well as the new law.