17 dead, several missing as quarry collapses in India’s Mizoram state
Aizawl: Seventeen people died and several others were missing as a stone quarry collapsed in India’s Mizoram state amid incessant rains.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the incident happened early today on the southern outskirts of the Aizawl town, the state’s capital city. Landslides triggered by heavy rains as an impact of Cyclone Remal made the stone quarry collapse.
Among the victims of the stone quarry collapse are a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl.
The death toll has risen to 17 in Mizoram’s stone quarry collapse and at least six people are still trapped under debris, Director-General of Police (DGP) Anil Shukla told media.
Aizwal has been cut off from the rest of the country due to a landslide on National Highway 6 at Hunthar, officials said. Besides, several intra-state highways have also been disrupted by landslides, they said.
In Aizawl town, some cemeteries have also been swept away by landslides, and over 150 graves damaged. Meanwhile, several farms on the bank of the Tlawng River have been fully submerged by the unprecedented flooding, a senior official said.