• Source:JND
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Cyclone Remal Impact: At least 36 people were killed in heavy rains and landslides across four northeastern states on Tuesday due to Cyclone Remal. Hundreds were forced to take shelter in relief camps as rain destroyed homes and knocked down power lines. Mizoram has been the worst-hit state in the region. Cyclone Remal claimed 27 lives, including 21 in a stone quarry collapse, in Mizoram, officials said.

The Mizoram State Disaster Management Authority (MSDMA) and police confirmed that 21 bodies have been recovered from the quarry site between Melthum and Hlimen, with several others still trapped under debris. Six additional fatalities occurred in other landslide incidents at Salem, Aibawk, Lungsei, Kelsih, and Falkawn in Aizawl district.

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Heavy rain and landslides severely disrupted transportation, leaving Aizawl cut off from the rest of the country. Multiple landslides on National Highway 6, the state's main artery, exacerbated the isolation. Several buildings, houses, roads, and bridges were either damaged or swept away.

Rescue operations at the quarry site involved disaster management personnel, police, and local residents, but were hampered by heavy rain and strong winds. Among the quarry collapse victims were a minor boy and a girl, while two people were rescued alive. Seven of the victims were locals, and the rest were from outside the state.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma held an emergency meeting with Home Minister K Sapdanga, Chief Secretary Renu Sharma, and other senior officials to review the situation. The government ordered all schools to close and non-essential government employees to work from home. Lalduhoma announced a relief fund of Rs 15 crore and Rs 4 lakh ex gratia for the families of those who died in the landslides.

President Droupadi Murmu and Home Minister Amit Shah expressed their condolences. "Saddened to learn about the loss of lives in a stone quarry collapse near Aizawl in Mizoram. My condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the success of rescue and relief operations and wish for a speedy recovery of the injured", the President said in a post on X.

(With Agencies Inputs)