Aizawl: One more body was recovered on Thursday, taking the death toll in multiple landslides in Mizoram’s Aizawl district to 28, a police officer said.
Aizawl Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahool Alwal said that one more body was recovered from the debris of a landslide at Hlimen on the southern outskirts of Aizawl at 11 am on Thursday.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
With the last recovered missing person, who was a non-Mizo coming from outside the state, altogether, 28 bodies have been recovered so far, he said.
Also Read: Assam: ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah among six charge-sheeted for attack on army camp
He said that six people, including a six-month-old baby, are believed to be still missing.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Although district officials and police stated the death toll to be 29 on Wednesday, they later made rectifications and expressed apologies citing that wrong information was mistakenly given from Aibawk village, where the search for two missing persons is still underway, due to poor mobile network.
They said that 27 bodies have been recovered till Wednesday.
Officials said that 15 bodies have been recovered from a massive landslide at a stone quarry in the 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.
Also Read: Assam: NFR cancels trains between Lumding and Silchar due to cyclone Remal damage
Aizawl’s Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar said 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.
All government offices and educational institutions are opened on Thursday, officials said.
The state capital had not witnessed rain since yesterday, they 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 the Tlawng river at Sairang village about 21 km from Aizawl, the department said.