Mizoram stone quarry collapse: Death toll at 17, many missing amid incessant rain, rescue op affected | 10 points

The death toll in the Mizoram stone quarry collapse on Tuesday morning due to incessant rains has climbed to 17. As many as 12 are reportedly missing as officials continue to dig through the rubble to rescue more people.

Rescue efforts at the tragedy site between Melthum and Hlimen in Aizawl have been hampered by the incessant rains, attributed to the impact of Cyclone Remal. Several other people also went missing in landslides elsewhere in the state capital which was cut off from the rest of the country.

MIZORAM STONE QUARRY COLLAPSE: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

1. The stone quarry collapsed around 6 am on the southern outskirts of Aizawl town, trapping dozens. Seventeen have died, police suspect as many as six-seven more are trapped under the rubble
2. Mizoram Director General of Police Anil Shukla said, “We have recovered 17 bodies so far and the rescue operations are going on. We suspect that 6-7 more people are still trapped under the rubble.”
3. Police said heavy rain was affecting rescue operations at the disaster site
4. Among the 17 are two minors – a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, a police officer informed. Also Read | Karnataka: 6 killed in quarry blast in Chikkaballapur, CM orders probe
5. Chief Minister Lalduhoma called an emergency meeting following the tragedy to take stock of the situation. State Home Minister K Sapdanga, Chief Secretary Renu Sharma and other senior officials were also present in the meeting
6. The state has announced ₹4 lakh ex-gratia for the families of those killed in the stone quarry collapse incident
7. CM Lalduhoma and HM Sapdanga visited the stone quarry collapse site to assess the situation and oversee the rescue operations.
8. The rain triggered landslides at several other places in the state and at least two persons have been “swept away”. Those who have died in calamities caused by rains will also be awarded ₹4 lakh ex-gratia
9. Meanwhile, three persons are missing after a landslide swept away a building in Aizawl's Salem Veng. Search operation to rescue survivors is on
10. In 2023, seven workers were killed in Mizoram’s Mamit town when a stone quarry collapsed. In 2022, 12 workers were killed in another similar collapse, according to AP

(With agency inputs)