37 dead, 25 still missing after massive landslide in Manipur, India (UPDATES)

Ratnadip Choudhury
NDTV
Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:14 UTC

Landslide damaged Tupul station building of ongoing Jiribam-Imphal new line project

At least eight people were killed and 13 others injured after a massive landslide hit a town in western Manipur's Noney district. The incident took place at Tupul yard railway construction camp on Wednesday night.

Many of those killed belonged to the terrirtorial army who guarded a major railway line construction site, officials said.

The landslide also obstructed the flow of a river, creating a dam-like water body that could lead to flooding if the debris are removed, leading to a complex environmental disaster.

The obstructed flow of Ijei river, which has led to a dam-like structure, could flood low-lying areas if the situation worsens. The officer has asked Noney residents to take precautions and not let children go near the river.

The district administration is in touch with national and state disaster management agencies for search, rescue and relief operations.

The residents have been asked to stay alert for continuous rain, which may aggravate the situation.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh held an emergency meeting.

"Called an emergency meeting to assess the situation of the landslide in Tupul today. The search and rescue operation are already underway. Let's keep them in our prayers today. Ambulances along with doctors have also been dispatched to assist in the operation," Mr Singh tweeted.

People have been asked to avoid taking National Highway-37, which passes through this area, due to multiple blockages by landslides amid heavy rain for the last few days.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the incident.

Comment: Update July 1

Floodlist reports:

India - 14 Dead, Dozens Missing After Landslide in Manipur

A massive landslide triggered by days of heavy rain has caused death and destruction in a remote area of the state of Manipur in northeastern India.

The landslide occurred at a railway construction site near Tupul, Noney district, during the early hours of 30 June 2022, burying a makeshift camp for construction workers. Rescue teams working at the site recovered 14 bodies, while 25 were rescued alive.

India's Ministry of Home Affairs reported 56 people were feared missing under the debris, including members of the Territorial Army, construction workers and locals.

The landslide blocked the flow of the Ijai river and created an artificial dam, raising fears of possible flooding in the area.

Update July 2

The Hindustan Times reports:

Manipur landslide: 20 army men among 27 dead, 35 still missing

The death toll of the massive landslide at the Marangching railway construction site in Manipur's Noney district rose to 27 after 6 more bodies were recovered from the debris till 12 noon on Saturday, officials said. Around 35 others are still missing even as the search operation entered the third day. Meanwhile, a fresh landslide was also reported on Saturday morning near the railway construction camp at Marangching area but there was no loss of life or property during the incident.

The massive landslide, which is said to be the first of its kind with such a huge magnitude in the history of Manipur, took place near the railway construction camp at Marangching part 5 area, about 75km west of the state capital, in the intervening night of June 29 and 30.

The landslide also hit 107 Territorial Army (TA) camp of the Indian Army deployed at the area for the protection of the railway construction work. "So far, we have recovered 27 bodies (as of 12 noon) including today's six bodies," said a senior state government official who is monitoring the situation from Noney district headquarters. "Out of them, 20 are army men," he said.

Meanwhile, people familiar with the matter in the Army said that wall radars are being successfully used to detect humans and moving objects and search and rescue dogs are being employed to assist in the rescue operations.

"So far, 13 Territorial Army personnel and 5 civilians have been safely rescued, while mortal remains of 18 Territorial Army personnel and 6 civilians have been recovered," the Army said in a release on Saturday.

The mortal remains of 14 personnel including one junior commissioned officer (JCO) and 12 other ranks of Territorial Army personnel were sent to respective home stations by two Indian Air Force (IAF) aircrafts and an Indian Army helicopter, while one mortal remain was sent to Kangpokpi district in Manipur by road after wreath laying by GOC Red Shield Division and IG IGAR (South) at Imphal with full military honours on Saturday morning, it said.

The massive debris initially blocked the Ijei River creating a reservoir that may inundate low-lying areas. However, the water level has been receding fast after eight excavators cleared the debris and resumed the river course on Friday.

According to officials, as the landslide area covers about 1 km stretch, the search operation may take a few more days.

Many men and women from nearby villages, including relatives of two families from Marangching part 4 & 5 villages whose whereabouts are still unknown, have also been visiting the affected site with the hope of seeing recovery of the bodies by the search parties.

Among the missing are 29-year-old Kabamgai, his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. The family from Marangching Part 4 used to run a shop at the railway construction camp.

Paijolu, 52, mother of Kabamgai, said, "All our hope has been shattered as my son and daughter-in-law's phone is unreachable since Thursday morning."

Till Friday, 21 bodies were recovered while 18 injured persons were rescued and referred to hospitals for treatment.

Update July 3

AFP reports:

India landslide death toll rises to 37

© INDIAN ARMY/AFP

Soldiers carry the body of a victim during rescue efforts after the landslide

The death toll from a massive landslide in India hit 37 on Sunday, authorities said, as rescue teams battled teeming rain to search for 25 others still missing three days later.

A wall of mud and rock swamped a camp housing railway construction workers and members of the Territorial Army in remote Manipur state in the northeast after heavy rain early on Thursday.

Emergency teams rescued 18 survivors within the first few hours of the incident.

But army spokesperson Angom Bobin Singh said Sunday that 28 people were still missing before an announcement later that three more bodies had been retrieved.

The fourth day of search operations was ongoing "despite adverse weather conditions" because of "heavy rains and fresh landslides", Singh said.

The remote northeast has generally poor road and railway infrastructure but India in the last few years has pushed ambitious infrastructure projects to match a Chinese build-up across the border.

The picturesque region -- with mountains and dense forests -- has been pummelled by heavy rainfall in recent weeks, triggering landslides and floods.

Dozens were killed in the area after flooding last month, with relentless rains causing landslides and inundating homes.