4 killed as landslides wreak havoc in Arunachal Pradesh

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Four people, including a woman, died in landslides triggered by an incessant downpour here, police said on Monday.

Two people were killed when their house was hit by a massive landslide near Punjabi Dhaba, they said.

A woman is still trapped inside the house, which came crashing down on Sunday night due to the impact of the landslide, Capital Superintendent of Police (SP) Jimmy Chiram said.

While two bodies have been retrieved from the debris, the fate of the woman is yet to be known, he said.

An operation is underway to rescue her, but the inclement weather is a major impediment, the SP added.

The deceased have been identified as 50-year-old Nagen Barman and Tapas Rai (15), while Kusum Rai (35) is yet to be rescued, Itanagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Phassang Simi said.

Three persons have also been injured and admitted to hospital, Simi said.

NDRF sources said its teams are waiting for equipment to arrive as manual search operations are not possible at the site.

In another incident, two PWD labourers were swept away in landslides at Ganga-Jully Basti Road while trying to extricate a motorcycle stuck in mud, Chiram said.

Two others also sustained grievous injuries, he said.

The lady was identified as 45-year-old Tai Yai while the other deceased was Teg Bahadur Sonar (50). The injured were identified as T Taloh and P Taje, Chiram added.

Officials said surface communication between Likaballi in Lower Siang district and Aalo, the headquarters of the West Siang district, was disrupted following landslides at various points.

Most parts of the North-East have been receiving heavy rainfall over the last few days, with landslides being reported from several districts, they said.

The administration has designated the government higher secondary school here, the government middle school at Naharlagun and Nikum Niya Hall at Banderdewa, as temporary relief camps, they said.

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