Shillong, June 17: Torrential rains in Meghalaya wreaked havoc in Tharia village under Umiam Police Station when a landslide triggered by the incessant rainfall claimed four lives while two persons who are still missing are feared dead and several injured. The landslide believed to have occurred at 5 am in the morning engulfed the staff quarters of a local Plywood Factory and nearby houses of local inhabitants.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) of the Directorate of Civil Defence and Home Guards, Government of Meghalaya quickly swung into action after receiving information about the disaster and engaged in rescue operations along with the Fire and Emergency Services and local inhabitants. Mr P H Khongsngi, Deputy Controller of Civil Defence, Shillong and Officer in Charge, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has informed that two of the deceased were labourers of the Plywood Factory at Tharia and were identified as Loba Mahanta aged 25 and his wife Babbi Mahanta aged 19 while the third victim, a minor has been identified as 12 years old Santi Lama. The fourth victim of the tragedy succumbed to his injuries at Civil Hospital, Shillong and was identified as Buna Lama aged 13. A woman identified as Sima Lama aged around 35 who was injured in the landslide was rushed to Civil Hospital, Shillong.
Mr Khongsngi who is leading the rescue team of the SDRF said that the focus of the operations now is to locate two missing residents of the affected area identified as Kali Mai who is a 60 year old woman and her daughter Rina Lama. He said that rescue operation is still going on in the affected area despite inclement weather which is posing a threat to the rescue team. The area affected by the landslide is below a landfill and a stream flows nearby said Khongsni who added that four members of the SDRF have been deployed downstream to locate the bodies in case they were swept downstream.
Khongsngi further added that operations will continue as weather permits. If the bodies are not found today the operations will be suspended and resumed at Dawn as rescue workers cannot risk working at night due to standard safety protocols Mr M K Sangma, Joint Commandant General of Home Guards and Joint Director of Civil Defence, Meghalaya also visited the affected area to take stock of the situation earlier in the day. Till filing of this report a body of woman has been recovered at around 6:30 pm raising the death toll to five. The body is yet to be identified.
