Poongonglung Gangmei is among the few lucky survivors from the massive landslide in Manipur’s Noney district on Wednesday. Gangmei used to work as a night guard at the railway construction site. He was also among the first people to alert others in the area as soon as the landslide struck on the fateful night.
“At around 11:30 pm, when I went out to answer nature’s call, I heard some rumbling sounds from the soil. When I checked the area, the landslide had already started,” he recalled.
Meanwhile, three more bodies of Territorial Army personnel were recovered from the debris on Saturday morning, taking the death toll to 24 even as 38 people are still missing. Of the total 24 mortal remains recovered, 18 belong to the personnel of the Territorial Army and six are civilians, according to Army officials.
At present, the teams have zeroed down on two different spots for search operations as most bodies have been recovered from these spots. Heavy machinery along with ‘through-wall imaging radars’ are being deployed to expedite operations.
