One more body recovered, toll in Mizoram landslides rises to 28

Aizawl, May 30 (PTI) One more body was recovered on Thursday, taking the toll in multiple landslides in Mizoram's Aizawl district to 28, a police officer said.

Aizawl Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahool Alwal said that the body of a non-local resident was recovered from the debris of a landslide at Hlimen on the southern outskirts of Aizawl at 11 am on Thursday.

With the new recovery, altogether, 28 bodies have been recovered so far, he said.

According to the SP, six people, including a six-month old baby, are believed to be still missing.

Although district officials and police stated the death toll to be 29 on Wednesday, they later made rectifications and said it was 27 on Wednesday and expressed apologies citing that wrong information was mistakenly given from Aibawk village, where search for two missing persons is still underway, due to poor mobile network.

Officials said that 15 bodies have been recovered from a massive landslide at a stone quarry in Melthum area and six from Hlimen, both on the southern outskirts of Aizawl, two persons died in Falkawn village about 15 km from Aizawl and one each in Lungsei and Kelsih villages in Aizawl district died when houses were swept away by landslides.

Three minors and seven non-local residents from Jharkhand and Assam were among the 28 victims, they said.

Aizawl's Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar told PTI that rescue and search operations began on Thursday morning in Melthum, Hlimen and Aibawk areas for the third day.

She said that teams of the Nation Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, fire department and Quick Response Team (QRT) have been deployed for the operations.

They are assisted by volunteers of the Young Mizo Association(YMA), she said.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for the families of those killed in landslides and other calamities caused by rain in other parts of the state.

He said the government has earmarked Rs 15 crore to tackle disasters triggered by rain, which occurred as an after-effect of Cyclone Remal.

According to the state disaster management and rehabilitation department, more than 120 houses, schools and churches have been either damaged or collapsed due to the recent rain, storm and landslides, which occurred as an impact of cyclone Remal that hit Bangladesh and West Bengal on Monday.

In Aizawl town, some cemeteries at Republic Veng, Kanan Veng, Luangmual and Kulikawn have also been swept away by landslides, and over 200 graves were damaged, it said.

About 48 houses have also been submerged by water due to the flooding of Tlawng river at Sairang village about 21 km from Aizawl, the department said. PTI