Inclement weather continues to hamper search and rescue operations at Toupul in Manipur’s Noney district, where the death toll from the landslide has increased to 42. Sniffer dogs and advanced machines are being deployed to find bodies
Soldiers and disaster relief teams search for survivors and victims after a landslide in Noney district in Manipur. Indian Army/AFP
The devastating landslide at a Territorial Army Camp in Toupul in Manipur’s Noney district left 42, including 27 jawans, dead on Wednesday night. Rescue efforts are ongoing as bodies of several personnel and workers at an under-construction railway station and tribal village are missing.
According to officials at least 80 persons including children could be still trapped under the debris, The Hindu reports.
The rescue ops
Rescue efforts are being carried out in the Tupul area by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, Territorial Army, and the central and state disaster response forces. So far 13 soldiers and five civilians have been rescued.
Twenty-seven excavators are being used in the search for missing bodies. Through Wall Imaging Radar (TWIR), a sensor used for the detection and location of static and moving targets, is being used by officials to find people and bodies under the debris.
A Newmai, the local MLA, told The Hindu, that highly sensitive machinery, which can detect bodies buried several metres deep, has been deployed, and that there is no dearth of men, machinery or volunteers.
A big help has come from sniffer dogs to locate bodies.
Security forces and disaster relief teams search for survivors and victims after a landslide in Noney district. Indian Army/AFP
The hurdles
However, the rescue operations have been difficult. Rains continued to batter the Toupul area since Saturday night, further hampering search operations. “The search operation is continuing despite adverse weather conditions, owing to heavy rains and fresh landslides last night,” a defence spokesperson said.
Mud roads and large volumes of debris have hindered operations. Loose soil and small boulders continue to roll down the hills, creating fear.
“I have been spending sleepless nights as I could still hear the rumbling sounds of boulders falling from the hills. I wished to shift from this place but the company informed us that it will take around two months to vacate the campus as a large number of our machinery are buried by the debris”, says Namjolung Gangmei, a driver who works at the railway construction project, told The Indian Express.
A large amount of debris has blocked the Ijei river in the area, creating a reservoir, which could flood low-lying areas. Work is ongoing to clear the debris and let the water flow out, according to a report in The Hindu. People in nearby villages have been alerted to evacuate.
Rescue workers start operations as early as 4 am and continue until 6 pm.
The other fear is that the landslide occurred in the area which was at the epicentre of an earthquake in January 2016. Fresh landslips put locals on edge.
Meanwhile, the NH-37, the second-most important highway, remains blocked because of multiple other landslides. Hundreds of trucks and other vehicles remain stranded since the Wednesday disaster.
Manipur chief minister N Biren visited the Assam Rifles Hospital at Mantril Pukhri near Imphal city on Sunday evening to distribute Rs 50,000 each to injured personnel who are being treated there. Leaders from Assam have been visiting the affected areas in Toupul to distribute food and other essential items.
With inputs from agencies
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