8 buried alive in Arunachal landslides including 8-month-baby

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Eight persons were buried alive in massive landslides in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, even as the land-locked State grappled with a series of earth falls due to incessant rains in the past five days, officials said.

Four members of a family, including an eight-month-old baby, were buried alive as a massive landslide hit their house at Tigdo village in Papum Pare district in the early hours of Friday.

The landslide that occurred around 2.30 am in the village buried the house with all the occupants sleeping, Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pige Ligu said.

The bodies were retrieved from the debris by the police and NDRF personnel with the help of locals, he said.

The house belonged to Tana Neka and the deceased were his two sons, daughter-in-law and grandchild, Ligu said.

However, Neka and his wife are safe as they live in another house, he added.

Those killed were identified as Tana Martin (22), his wife Yabung Lindum, daughter Tana Yasum (eight months) and brother Tana John.

In another incident, four members of a family died when the house of Kamdak Tado at Modirijo, near Lingalaya Temple along NH-415, was completely washed away due to massive landslide around 11.30 am, Capital SP Tumme Amo said.

Tado was away in his neighbour's house when the incident occurred, but his wife and 3 others staying inside the house were buried alive under the mudslide.

One little boy Lokam Rona (8) ran out of the house and a girl Lokam Gandhi (15) who was trapped inside was rescued, the SP said, and added that the girl sustained leg injuries and shifted to Rama Krishna Mission Hospital here for treatment.

Police along with personnel of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) swung into rescue operation and retrieved three bodies from the debris while search for another person is going on, Amo added.

The deceased have been identified as Kamduk Kagung (30), wife of Kamdak Tado, Kamdak Karna (9) and Kamdak Jita (8) both daughters, while search is going on for another girl Lokam Minu (20).

The death toll due to monsoon-related incidents in the state has risen to 15.

Expressing shock over the two incidents, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has ordered all possible relief and ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the deceased. He appealed to the people residing in vulnerable places to maintain extreme caution and move to safer places. He also urged all to travel with caution owing to rain-loosened soil that may trigger landslides anytime.

Khandu offered prayers for the deceased and conveyed solidarity with the aggrieved families.

Khandu cautioned that according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy rain is expected across the State in the next few days, and urged people to take all precautionary measures.

Incessant rains for the last five days have triggered landslides and floods that have left a trail of devastation in the State, damaging roads, houses and inundating low-lying areas.

Landslides have been reported from various locations in and around the state capital region.

Besides, road communication has been badly affected and the water level in the streams and rivers in the State capital has risen. The water supply project at Poma has been badly damaged due to landslide.

PHE officials said that water supply to Itanagar would be affected as restoration would take at least four days.

A mudslide at the Dokum Colony has damaged houses in the Chimpu area. A road in Niti Vihar was also affected due to a landslide on Thursday, officials said.

A landslide hit the Waii International Hotel here, damaging its staff quarters, they added.

Besides damaging a long stretch of road from the gate of Dera Natug Government College to Upper Vivek Vihar here, landslides have blocked a road from the Hilltop Colony to the IRBn Colony.

PWD Assistant Engineer B Tadar said a large stretch of the Papu Nallah-Itanagar road via Jullang has also been damaged.

A culvert near the Nyishi Elite Society (NES) Secretariat at Richi was washed away, due to which the road has been closed, officials said.

A series of landslides and flash floods have left a trail of destruction in East Siang district.

The washing away of a 30-foot approach road to a bridge over the Sile river has affected communication on the Mirem Mikong-Ruksin road under Ruksin subdivision.

Several pockets of Pasighat, the district headquarters of East Siang, are facing a flood-like situation with the low-lying areas completely inundated.

The Siang river and all its tributaries are flowing above the danger mark and the district administration has issued advisories, asking people not to venture into the rivers.

East Siang DC Kinny Singh has activated the Incident Response Team and directed the district disaster management officer and incident commanders of the district to remain alert.

He has also cautioned people against venturing into the Siang and Sibo Korong rivers for fishing and other activities.

All the major rivers and their tributaries are in spate in Lohit, Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, West Kameng and Namsai districts.

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