At least 32 killed in four NE states in landslides, storms and accidents related to Remal
At least ten people were killed in other adverse weather-related incidents in Mizoram, three in Assam, one in Meghalaya, and one in Nagaland.
At least 17 bodies, including of two children, were recovered after a stone quarry collapsed in Mizoram capital of Aizawl, as heavy rainfall and strong winds brought on by Cyclone Remal, killed at least 32 people across four northeastern states, officials said on Tuesday. At least ten people were killed in other adverse weather-related incidents in Mizoram, three in Assam, one in Meghalaya, and one in Nagaland.
Severe Cyclone Remal, which battered the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh after making landfall on Sunday night, weakened to a cyclonic storm as it moved inwards lashing northeast India with strong winds and heavy rainfall. In Mizoram, the heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides across the state and claimed the lives of 27 people.
“Cyclone Remal has claimed 27 lives in Aizawl district following landslides. Electricity and water supply will be stifled due to damage to infrastructure. Mizoram CM has announced ₹15 crore for State Disaster Relief Fund. ₹4 lakh announced as ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased,” said the DIPR Mizoram on X.
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A stone quarry in Melthum area of Aizawl collapsed around 6am and, the director general of police (DGP), Mizoram, Anil Shukla said, a massive rescue operation was launched immediately, mobilising the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Assam Rifles and local police. Officials were able to rescue several individuals and a child. Media reports said at least 21 people had been buried under the debris.
District disaster management authorities, in a 7pm update, said the death toll had risen to 17 with the victims being mostly labourers from different states, but also including a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. At least five locals and 2-3 non-locals were reportedly missing.
Aizawl’s Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar told PTI news agency that the search operations will continue till the entire site is cleared.
“The number could go up. There was an abandoned stone quarry and not functional for the last three decades. Houses near the quarry collapsed,” Mizoram Director General of Police Anil Shukla told PTI , adding that heavy rain was affecting the operations.
President Droupadi Murmu condoled the deaths in Mizoram. “Saddened to learn about the loss of lives in a stone quarry collapse near Aizawl in Mizoram. My condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the success of rescue and relief operations and wish a speedy recovery of the injured,” Murmu wrote one X.
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Authorities said heavy rainfall in the state had begun on Monday with the onset of Cyclone Remal, intensifying on Tuesday. “We are taking appropriate measures to handle the situation,” Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma said.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said three individuals, including a 17-year-old student died in the state as a result of the storm till Tuesday evening.
“Till now, three persons have died in storm in the last 24 hours, one each in Morigaon, Kamrup and Kamrup Metro district. Further details are awaited,” ASDMA said.
In Morigaon district, college student Kausik Bordoloi, 17, on his way to Gurugul Junior College was killed on Tuesday morning after a tree fell on the auto-rickshaw he was travelling in, officials said. Lavanya Kumari, 60, from Rajapukhuri Village in Kamrup district, was killed after a tree fell on her house, according to District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) said. In Guwahati city, a 19-year-old student, Mintu Talukdar, was killed when a tree fell on his house in Nabajyoti Nagar.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said educational institutes on Wednesday would be closed in the areas where a “red” alert was in effect for heavy rainfall.
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“In light of the Red Alert for Nagaon, Hojai, West Karbi Anglong, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Dima Hasao, Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj, all educational institutions in these districts will remain closed on May 29, 2024,” he said on X. Several top education institutes, including Assam University Silchar and Guwahati’s Cotton University, cancelled examination and classes scheduled for May 29.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 60 to 90mm rainfall were recorded in various parts of Assam and the state has received 450.2mm of rain in last seven days.
Dima Hasao was one of the worst affected districts according to DDMA reports. Landslides in several areas in the district disrupted road connectivity between the three districts of Barak Valley and the rest of the state.
Flight operations at Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) were also impacted by the weather. Several flights were cancelled on Tuesday, especially the Aizawl, Agartala and Silchar-bound flights, according to the authorities.
Flooding was also been reported in Guwahati, Silchar and other cities. More than 50% of the Silchar town is under water and many schools, offices and households were inundated, according to DDMA, Cachar officials.
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In Meghalaya, one person was killed when a wall caved in on their house on Tuesday morning at Sutnga village in East Jaintia Hills district, while four people were injured in a landslide in Mawkynroh Bypass in East Khasi Hills district, according to a bulletin by the state disaster management authority, which also said 17 villages in the state have been affected by cyclonic storm. Several low-lying areas of the state capital of Shillong witnessed flooding on Tuesday.
A 73-year-old man was crushed by a wall that collapsed in Pfutsero under Phek district in Nagaland and damage to public infrastructure, houses, agricultural fields and road blockages due to mudslides was reported on Tuesday across several districts. Officials of Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) said damage reports were still being compiled at the time of filing this report.
The effects of heavy rainfall and strong winds were reported from other northeastern states, including Manipur, where cyclone Remal triggered heavy rainfall resulting in widespread flooding in the low-lying areas and landslides in hill areas, severely impacting normal life, official reports said on Tuesday. As a precautionary measure, the state government directed schools to remain closed till May 31.
In Tripura, heavy rainfall was reported in several areas on Tuesday. According to IMD, maximum rainfall was recorded in Unakoti district (252.4mm) while lowest rainfall was recorded in South district (168 mm) from May 27 morning till May 28 morning.
In Arunachal Pradesh, IMD issued red alert in four districts, West Kameng, East Kameng, Papum Pare and Changlang with prediction of heavy rainfall across the state in the next few days.
IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall till June 2 in Assam. Thunderstorms followed by heavy rainfall has also been forecast for Mizoram for next three days.