IMPHAL, 8 Jul: The death toll in the landslide that struck a railway construction site in Tupul in Manipur’s Noney district last week rose to 49 as two more bodies were retrieved from under the debris during the ongoing search operations, an official said on Friday.
Bodies of a Territorial Army staffer and a civilian were recovered on Thursday and 12 people are still missing, he said.
Identification of decomposed bodies has become increasingly difficult. Search operations are still on to find out the 12 missing people, Noney district Deputy Commissioner Haulianlal Guite said in a statement.
Twenty-nine army personnel and 20 civilians were among the deceased in the worst natural disaster that hit the northeastern state, and 18 others were injured.
The massive landslide struck the railway construction site on 30 June.
Over 880 personnel, including those of the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, the police, the Assam Rifles and local volunteers, have been deployed in the search operation.
Over 43 excavators have been used to clear the debris which blocked the Ijei river, forming dam-like storage and threatening the people living nearby.
Earthmovers have been brought in to remove the debris and create a channel to allow the flow of water from there, the official said.
2 killed, 5 injured in landslide
Meanwhile, two persons died and five people were injured in a massive landslide that occurred in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Friday morning, the police said.
The incident happened on National Highway (NH) 102 in Santing, around 92 kms from the district headquarters, they said.
Twelve people, including two children, were travelling in a vehicle when they found the road was blocked by debris and tree branches, the police said.
They just cleared the debris and the driver was about to start the vehicle when a massive landslide hit the area. The vehicle was swept away into a deep gorge.
While one person died on the spot, the other died at the district hospital. Five people were injured and are undergoing treatment, the police said. (PTI)
