Meghalaya: Bodies of four persons trapped in landslide recovered

SHILLONG: Bodies of four persons, consisting of a father, mother, son, and their neighbour, who were buried by a landslide at their residence at Nongpriang village under Shella Block near Sohra in Meghalaya, have been recovered, informed officials.

Torrential rains and strong winds triggered a landslide in the isolated village, engulfing two houses and resulting in the loss of four lives.

The Sohra sub-divisional officer's office dispatched emergency and rescue teams, later joined by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Special Rescue Team (SRT) from the Meghalaya capital Shillong.

The body of Phisar Nongrum (75), whose house was struck by the landslide on the evening of May 30, was the first to be recovered.

On the morning of May 31, Lumlang Riahtam's body (16) was extricated from the mudslide.

Subsequently, in the evening, the bodies of Riahtam's father, Kynmaw Syngai (70), and mother, Benti Riahtam (60), were also retrieved.

Meghalaya secretary in-charge of revenue & disaster management, Matsiewdor War Nongbri, informed journalists late on Friday (May 31) that all four victims' bodies had been retrieved, and the minister would be visiting the village the following day.

Rescue teams from Sohra, including police, fire service personnel, and SDRF, made a challenging two-hour trek to reach the village.

Due to the lack of road connectivity, the teams had to conduct the rescue operations using only small tools and implements, as heavy machinery could not be transported.

Following directions from Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma for prompt relief efforts, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Sibhi C. Sadhu, announced ex-gratia payments of Rs 4 lakh each to the victims' families.

Meghalaya's Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, Kyrmen Shylla, accompanied by officials, visited Nongpriang to distribute the ex-gratia payments and offer condolences to the bereaved families.

Before his departure, Shylla mentioned plans to visit the site at Nongpriang to assess ways to support the families and hand over Rs 4 lakh cheques to each of the victims' next of kin.

In total, over 30,000 individuals were impacted by Cyclone ‘Remal’, with Garo Hills in Meghalaya being the hardest hit region.

The cyclone caused heavy rains, strong winds, floods, and landslides, affecting a total of 558 villages.