Aizawl: The body of a 27-year-old man from Assam, who went missing after a stone quarry collapsed in south Mizoram’s Hnahthial district, was found on Friday, 18 days after the incident, an official said.
The badly decomposed body of Jahidur Islam from Assam’s Barpeta was recovered from the site at 5 pm, Hnahthial sub-deputy commissioner Lalramdintluanga said.
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However, only the upper part of his body (from above his waist) was found, he said.
Although other rescue teams retreated from the site recently, the search operation was continued by ABCI Infrastructures Pvt Ltd under which Islam had worked, he said.
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Islam was known to have operated an earth excavator at the time of the incident.
Altogether, 12 people were confirmed to have been trapped after the stone quarry caved in at Maudhar village near Hnahthial town on November 14.
The mishap occurred when the workers were working at the site.
Hnahthial Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Kumar had said that thirteen people were working when a massive landslide occurred at the stone quarry and only one labourer managed to escape unhurt.
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The bodies of the other 11 victims were recovered from the debris during a week after the incident.
Of the 12 victims, 5 were from West Bengal, 3 from Assam, 2 from Jharkhand and one each from Tripura and Mizoram, according to officials.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the injured persons.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had taken suo-moto cognizance of the incident and called 7 authorities concerned, including ABCI Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, which currently owned the stone quarry on a lease, to appear before the tribunal on November 28.
NGT officials could not be contacted on the matter.
The state police also filed a criminal case against ABCI at Hnahthial police station a day after the incident.
Hnahthial Superintendent of Police Vineet Kumar said the case is being investigated.