Manipur landslide
FIle photo of the damages at Tamenglong. Photo: Northeast Now

The villagers who settled near the streams and rivers around  Manipur’s  Tamenglong district headquarters have been alerted in an effort to recover the body of a five-year-old girl who had been missing since July 11 landslide in Tamenglong district which claimed the lives of nine people and injured five others, police said on Monday.

Also read: Experts treat landslide in Manipur’s Tamenglong as effect of climate change

The step has been taken up after the mass search operation was suspended on Monday even though the family and relatives continued the search for the missing minor girl.

Meanwhile, the body of the nine months old baby boy who went missing along his five-year-old sister during the unfortunate incident, was recovered from a stream called Apa-Thuak on Saturday, police source added.

The stream Apa-Thuak connects Manipur’s biggest river Barak and it is located about five km north-west of Tamenglong police station.

However, the body of the five-year-old girl victim is yet to be retrieved, reports reaching Imphal said.

The recovery was made after continuous search for the last four days by the villagers after the July 11 incident following heavy rainfall at the Tamenglong town, 150 km west of Imphal.

Earlier seven of the nine bodies were recovered.

Meanwhile, Lanthailung (40), the father of the baby boy whose body was recovered on Saturday afternoon is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Imphal.

According to State Relief and Disaster Management Department, a total of 13 houses were completely damaged while five others were partially affected due to a landslide in Tamenglong, which experts believe was caused by heavy rainfall.

Earlier, the State Governor Dr Najma Heptulla and Chief Minister N Biren Singh have shared their deep pain over the incident.

Chief Minister Biren Singh had even announced ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each to the kin of each victim and other relief for the affected families.

Meanwhile the Delhi based Rongmei Students’ Organization has extended their heartfelt condolence  to the families who lost their children in the recent natural calamity.

Sobhapati Samom is Northeast Now Correspondent in Imphal. He can be reached at: [email protected]