Cyclone Remal Aftermath: 25 Dead, Many Missing in Mizoram Landslides

At least 25 people were killed in Mizoram on Tuesday due to landslides and incessant rain following cyclone Remal, according to the state disaster management authority. Among the fatalities, 14 people, including two minors, died in a stone quarry collapse in Aizawl district. Several others went missing in landslides, mostly in the state capital region, which was cut off from the rest of the country for several hours.Four persons were also killed and 18 others injured in separate incidents in Assam on Tuesday as heavy rain accompanied by strong wind lashed the state. In Nagaland, four deaths and damage to more than 40 houses were reported, while two persons died and over 500 others were injured as downpours wreaked havoc in Meghalaya.The stone quarry collapse incident in Mizoram occurred around 6 am between Melthum and Hlimen on the southern outskirts of Aizawl town. The Mizoram State Disaster Management Authority (MSDMA) stated that several houses and worker camps caved in due to the landslide, burying at least 22 people beneath the debris. So far, 14 bodies have been recovered and around eight people are still missing.Aizawl's Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar said that search operations would continue until the entire site is cleared. The abandoned stone quarry had not been functional for the last three decades. Houses near the quarry collapsed, Mizoram Director General of Police Anil Shukla told reporters.Heavy rain affected rescue operations, with several other persons being swept away by rain-triggered landslides at various places in Mizoram. Two persons were rescued alive from the stone quarry site.In nearby Hlimen of Aizawl district, at least five people died and four others are still missing when several houses collapsed in a landslide. A building in Aizawl's Salem Veng caved in due to a landslide, resulting in three persons going missing; their bodies were later recovered.The MSDMA reported that one person each died in Falkawn, Lungsei, and Kelsih of Aizawl district when landslides buried their houses. Eight members of a family inside a house were swept away by a heavy landslide at Chawnpui of Aizawl district.The state capital was cut off for the whole day from the rest of the country due to landslides on National Highway-6 at Hunthar and NH-54 at Bungbangla. The road blockages were cleared in the evening and traffic movement was restored.The India Meteorological Department's regional centre in Guwahati predicted light to moderate rain at most places over Mizoram on Wednesday, with thunderstorms and lightning with gusty wind reaching up to 30-40 kmph speed likely to occur at isolated places in the hill state.The Mizoram government ordered the closure of all offices and PSU units on Wednesday due to weather warnings issued by the IMD, except those departments involved with disaster management and essential services.Chief Minister Lalduhoma convened an emergency meeting with Home Minister K Sapdanga, Chief Secretary Renu Sharma, and other senior officials to assess the situation. The CM announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia for the families of those killed in the stone quarry collapse and calamities caused by rain.Sapdanga handed over cheques of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of eight Mizo people who died in the quarry collapse and said the remaining amount would be given to them soon. The identities of four non-tribal people are being verified; if they are permanent residents of Mizoram, they will be given ex gratia.Lalduhoma said the government earmarked Rs 15 crore to tackle disasters triggered by rain as an aftereffect of cyclone Remal. He later visited the stone quarry site with Sapdanga to assess the situation and oversee rescue operations.In Mamit district's Dapchhuah, a Myanmar refugee camp and some crop areas were submerged due to heavy rainfall. All schools were closed during the day, and government employees not involved in providing essential services were asked to work from home.More than 50 families were shifted to safer places when their houses submerged due to the overflowing Tlawng river at Sairang village, about 21 km from Aizawl. Around 150 houses have been destroyed, dozens of trees and electric poles uprooted, several roads blocked, and over 50 dwelling units submerged across Mizoram due to cyclone Remal's aftereffects.