IMPHAL: As many as 63 people including army personnel from territorial army were dead in debris of the gigantic landslide that struck their camp at Tupul in Noney district of Manipur three days ago.
18 people were rescued alive while 25 dead bodies have been retrieved till today by the joint Manipur administration, army and NDRF teams, said Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who along with his team of ministers and army and NDRF officers were monitoring the rescue operation.
Chief Minister told media that 18 persons were injured who were under treatment at the hospital after they were rescued.
He said 25 bodies have been retrieved while 38 persons were still missing from the site.
Among the dead were 18 jawans of territorial army who along with other 63 persons were camping at the landslide site.
According to the Manipur government, the massive landslide was triggered off due the spells of heavy rains that lashed the Tulup region.
The camp was swept away by the flood that followed after the rains.
The natural disaster that caught the territorial workers and the government unaware has exposed the lack of weather forecast system in the land-slide prone areas of the Manipur state.
Chief Minister said that it was the harshest tragedy that struck the blow in Manipur. The rescue operation to retrieve the missing persons is on, he said.
Prime Minister Narender Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have expressed their shock over the tragedy and extended all assistance to the Manipur government.
