- Rescue work expected to continue for a couple of days in hilly terrain in Noney, Manipur state.
- Heavy rain and falling boulders hampering rescue efforts.
- Rescue official said 21 of the confirmed 26 dead were members of the Territorial Army.
Officials reported that rescuers who have so far extracted 26 bodies; from the rubble of a landslide that destroyed a railway construction site in northeastern India’s Manipur state; have been hindered by recent rain and falling boulders.
There is minimal possibility of finding survivors among the 37 persons remaining unaccounted for; so rescue efforts are set to last for a few days in Noney; a town close to the state capital Imphal.
The Territorial Army was represented by 21 of the verified 26 fatalities; according to rescue officer Pankaj Kavidayal.
A decades-old violent insurrection seeking a separate homeland for ethnic and tribal groups; in the area had army men providing protection; for the railway executives.
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Using bulldozers and other tools; the operation in Noney involved more than 250 soldiers, rescuers, and police. More landslides are on record in the area on Saturday; and they have been a warning about them.
According to Kavidayal, rescuers have pulled out 13 soldiers and 5 civilians; from the wreckage of a completely destroyed train station; staff housing, and other infrastructure that is still to build.
According to the chief minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh; the situation at the scene of the landslide was “still serious.”
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