Two days after a landslide that swept away a railway construction camp in the state of Manipur, in northern India, the toll continues to grow. The local government and the army announced on Saturday July 2 that twenty-five people had been killed in the disaster, and that nearly forty others were still missing.
Rescuers and security forces continue to search for possible survivors, but their efforts are hampered by poor weather conditions, including rain. The situation “remains grave”, said the head of the Manipur state government, Nongthombam Biren Singh.
Most of the dead victims, whose bodies were taken from the rubble, were military reservists who worked on the railway site. Eighteen people, on the other hand, were found alive by the rescue services, according to a press release from the army. But 12 reservists and 26 civilians are still missing.
Global warming
India’s remote northeast has been hit by heavy rainfall, which has caused landslides and flooding in recent weeks.
Earlier this year, at least ten people died in such natural disasters following unusually heavy rains in several parts of India.
According to experts, climate change is increasing the number of extreme weather events around the world, including in India. In this country, dams, deforestation and development projects also contribute to disasters whose human toll is worsening.
