Guwahati: The death toll due to the landslide at a railway construction site at Tupul in Noney district of Manipur rose to 24 on Saturday.
However, authorities report that 38 people are still missing.
More rescue teams have been sent to Tupul to improve the search and rescue efforts. Since the calamity struck Tupul on June 29, the Army, Assam Rifles, Territorial Army, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been conducting significant search and rescue operations.
Five civilians and 13 members of the Territorial Army have so far been successfully rescued. Six civilians’ bodies and the remains of 18 members of the Territorial Army were found.
A junior commissioned officer was among the 14 personnel whose bodies were transported to their hometowns by an Army chopper, two Indian Air Force (IAF), and planes. One soldier’s body was delivered to the Kangpokpi district.
Before the bodies were sent to their final destinations, the deceased members of the military received full military honours in Imphal.
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh described the avalanche as the worst disaster in the state’s history.