Kohima, July 29 (IANS) In a tragic landslide triggered by incessant monsoon rains, two brothers were killed and their mother injured after a hillside collapsed on their rented house in Nagaland’s Mokokchung town early on Wednesday, officials said.
A State Disaster Management Department official said the landslide struck Upper Penli Ward in Mokokchung town at around 12.40 a.m., claiming the lives of two brothers from Alisophur village under Tuensang district.
The deceased were identified as Muwalong Sangtam (19), a Class XII student, and Thridiba Sangtam (16), a Class XI student. Both were students of Queen Mary Higher Secondary School (QMHSS), Mokokchung.
Their mother, who also sustained injuries in the incident, was undergoing treatment at the Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital in Mokokchung.
According to residents, continuous rainfall since midnight triggered the landslide, which severely damaged the rented house where the family had been staying.
Following the incident, the bodies of the two brothers were taken to their native village, Alisophur, in Tuensang district. Upon arrival of the mortal remains, village elders, family members, well-wishers and members of the Sangtam community gathered to receive them with profound grief and pay their final respects. The brothers were later laid to rest in their native village.
The tragic incident cast a pall of gloom over the region, with condolences pouring in from various quarters for the bereaved family.
Meanwhile, for the past one week, heavy to very heavy monsoon rainfall has continued to wreak havoc across Nagaland, disrupting road connectivity, triggering fresh landslides, and inundating vast areas in several districts, causing widespread hardship for residents.
Officials said road communication to several districts had remained severely affected for more than a week due to landslides and flooding caused by incessant rains.
The Indian Air Force (IAF), in close coordination with the Nagaland government, continued large-scale rescue and relief operations in the landslide-hit areas of the state. More than 300 stranded civilians were safely evacuated from different locations, while essential relief materials were airlifted to remote districts cut off by damaged road networks.
Officials of the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) said the state government further intensified its disaster response as heavy monsoon rains continued to trigger landslides and disrupt transportation across several districts.
With road links to Mon and Longleng districts still snapped, the NSDMA requisitioned Indian Air Force aircraft to evacuate stranded passengers and transport essential relief supplies to the affected areas.
In addition, a state government helicopter was also deployed to supplement the ongoing evacuation and relief operations, ensuring that assistance reached inaccessible areas as quickly as possible.
–IANS
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