Manipur landslide: nine more bodies recovered; toll rises to 30

Two days after devastating landslide hit the 107 Territorial Army (TA) camp located at Tupul railway construction camp at Makhuam area of Noney district, Manipur on June 30, the rescue teams have recovered nine more dead bodies pushing the death toll from the disaster to 30.
Officials said that till 3 pm, the rescuers retrieved eight more bodies, but sources from the ground zero said that one more body was recovered in the last hour of halting day’s operation late afternoon.
As per an official source, as many as 81 people, mostly TA personnel, were hit by the landslide, which completely buried their camp.
Among the victims, 43 were personnel of the TA, 23 staff and workers of Venkata Sai Construction (VSC), three each of railway and BIPL and five villagers. The identities of four victims were yet to be established, the official said.
After the tragic incident, a Joint Task Force comprising Army, Assam Rifles, NDRF, SDRF, CRPF, Army Medical Doctors, Manipur police and fire service personnel launched the rescue operations.
As many as 477 personnel of the said forces including MMTA and local volunteers were involved in the rescue operation that also pressed to service 32 excavators.
Two sniffer dogs were also deployed to assist the rescuers besides the sophisticated machinery including Through-Wall Imaging Radars to trace the missing people.
Today’s operation, which commenced at 4am, was hampered due to rainfall and appearance of new cracks in landslide area, officials said.