Manipur landslide: Death toll rises to 48

NEW DELHI: The death toll in a massive landslide in India's northeastern state of Manipur has risen to 48 as search and rescue operations for the missing entered the sixth day on Tuesday, officials said.

The landslide last week hit Tupul yard railway construction camp in Noney district, where some Territorial Army (TA) men were guarding a major railway line construction site. The majority of the dead were TA personnel, reported Xinhua.

Officials said more than 400 personnel of National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, police, fire service, army, local volunteers and others were engaged in the rescue operation.

The rescue team has deployed sniffer dogs and Through-Wall Imaging Radar to detect life presence in the debris.

The landslide has completely blocked a river flowing through Tamenglong and Noney districts.

Officials said the landslide has created a dam-like water body that will likely inundate low-lying areas once the debris is removed.

The local administration has issued an advisory to the people living in the low-lying areas, asking them to prepare for evacuation in case there is more rainfall.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh described the landslide as the worst incident in the state's history.

-- BERNAMA