16 killed in Arunachal landslide
ITANAGAR: At least 16 people were killed when a massive landslide triggered by incessant rains hit a labour camp in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday. The incident occurred at 3am when 19 contruction labourers were inside the camp at Phamla village, six km from Tawang town, SP Anto Alphonse said.
At least 16 people were killed and many others buried under debris in a landslide that struck Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China, early Friday morning.
A team of t he National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was headed to the disaster site.
“As per preliminary information 16 bodies have been recovered from the debris of the landslide. The incident occurred somewhere around 2.30am today (Friday). Authorities are involved in the rescue operations. A NDRF team is on its way,” a senior official from the state told IANS.
The landslide at Phamla village in Tawang, near the border with China, was triggered due to incessant rain in the state for weeks which has also led to water logging and flood-type situation in several parts of Arunachal Pradesh, officials said.
“A total of 17 labourers were sleeping inside the tent located near the under construction hotel. The tent was swept away completely burying 15 of them alive while the other two managed to escape with severe injuries,” said a senior district administration official. However, one of them succumbed later.
Arunachal Pradesh governor JP Rajkhowa announced ex-gratia relief of ` 1 lakh for the kin of each of the 16 workers who died in the landslide.
The gover nor also called upon the people to be alert and take necessary precautions as the state is experiencing heavy rainfall. He also advised the state government and district administrations to warn the people living in landslide and flood prone areas.
“Later, one of the seriously injured persons died while on the way to the hospital,” he said.