Death toll in Mizoram landslides rises to 29, seven still missing

Aizawl: The death toll in multiple landslides in Mizoram's Aizawl district mounted to 29 after four more bodies were recovered from various places, a police officer said on Wednesday.

Seven people are still missing and rescuers presume that they are trapped under the debris at different locations following landslides and incessant rain in the aftermath of cyclone Remal on Tuesday, he said.

A total of 25 bodies, including 14 from a stone quarry collapse site, were recovered till May 28 night.

After four more bodies were found since late Tuesday night, the toll in a stone quarry collapse site at Methum has risen to 15 and that at Hlimen to five, Aizawl Superintendent of Police Rahool Alwal said.

Three bodies were found at Aizawl's Salem Veng locality, two each at Falkawn and Aibawk villages and one each at Lungsei and Kelsih villages on Tuesday, he said.

Of the 29 victims, 23 are Mizoram residents, five people are from Jharkhand and one from Assam's Silchar town, according to Alwal.

Among the deceased are a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl.

Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar said that search and rescue operations are still on and will continue till all missing persons are found.

She said that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and fire department have been deployed in the search and rescue operations.

The state capital was cut off for several hours from the rest of the country on Tuesday due to a landslide on National Highway-6 at Hunthar in the western part of the town.

The road blockades were cleared in the evening and traffic movement was restored, officials said.

In Aizawl town, cemeteries at Republic Veng, Kanan Veng and Kulikawn were damaged by the landslides.

Officials said that the state capital witnessed no rain since morning on Wednesday.

The Mizoram government ordered the closure of all offices and PSU units except those departments involved with disaster management and essential services on Wednesday in view of the inclement weather warning issued by the IMD.

General Administration Department Commissioner and Secretary K Lalthawmmawia in an order also advised the private sector offices to adopt 'work from home' mode as far as possible.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for the families of those killed in the calamities.

He said that his government has earmarked Rs 15 crore to tackle the disaster.

More than 150 houses have been destroyed, dozens of trees and electric poles were uprooted, several roads were blocked and over 50 dwelling units were submerged across Mizoram in rain and landslides, officials said.