Imphal: The Manipur government on Wednesday officially called off search operations 20 days after a massive landslide struck a railway construction site in Noney district.
Sixty-one people have lost their lives in the worst natural disaster to have occurred in the northeastern state in recent memory, while 18 people were rescued, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said.
Fifty-six bodies have been retrieved from under the debris. Five people, including four civilians and one Territorial Army personnel, are still missing, and it has been decided to declare them dead, he said.
Thirty of the deceased are Territorial Army personnel, while the rest are railway officials, labourers and locals, he said.
A massive landslide had occurred at Tupul railway yard construction site of the Jiribam-Imphal railway line on June 30.
The chief minister had visited the site during the search operations, in which personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire, Army and police were involved.
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