Seven dead, over 20 missing as massive landslide hits India

Seven people were killed and more than 20 others went missing after a massive landslide hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, officials said on Thursday.

The landslide hit the Tupul railway construction camp in the Noney district on Wednesday at midnight, the officials said.

“A rescue operation is going on. We have recovered seven bodies and rescued 13 people, while over 20 are still missing,” Solomon Fimate, a senior administrative official in the district, told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

An advisory issued by the local administration said the landslide blocked the flow of the Ijei River, creating dam-like storage. “The general public is hereby advised to take precautions,” the advisory said.

In a statement, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh said he called an emergency meeting to assess the situation of the landslide in Tupul today.

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“A search and rescue operation is already underway. Ambulances along with doctors have also been dispatched to assist in the operation,” he added.

According to the officials, the landslide also hit the post of Indian Army personnel deployed for the protection of an under-construction railway line.

"Full-scale rescue operations are in progress by columns of Indian Army and Assam Rifles," a statement by defense forces said on Thursday morning.

“Rescue operations are being hampered by fresh landslides and bad weather. Army helicopters are on standby waiting for the weather to clear,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the death toll from floods in the neighbouring Assam state has reached 151. Officials said on Thursday that 12 more people were killed in the last 24 hours due to floods and landslides.