The death toll rose to 10 in the stone quarry collapse in South Mizoram’s Hnahthial district as two more bodies were recovered from the site, an official said on Wednesday. Of the diseased, five are from West Bengal, two each from Jharkhand and neighbouring Assam and one from Mizoram’s Lunglei district, he said.
Overall 12 people were confirmed to have been trapped after the stone quarry caved in at Maudarh village, about 23 km from Hnahthial town, on Monday. The incident occurred around 2.40 pm on November 14 when the workers were working at the site, according to the district administration.
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Hnahthial district Deputy Commissioner R Lalremsanga said, “Two more bodies have been recovered from the debris on Tuesday night after an intense search operation. With these recoveries, 10 of the 12 people trapped under the debris of the stone quarry have been found.”
The two missing persons are residents of Mizoram and Assam, he said. Search operations will continue till all the missing persons are found, the official said.
Hnahthial Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Kumar had said that thirteen people were working when a massive landslide occurred at the stone quarry and only one labourer managed to escape from the spot.
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Eyewitnesses claimed that workers had dug too deep and had upset the stability of the stone quarry, resulting in the collapse. Lalremsanga had said that five earth excavators, a stone crusher and a drilling machine were also completely buried under the debris.
He said the area impacted by the landslide is approximately 5,000 square metres. The stone quarry is owned by ABCI Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, a construction company, which employed the workers. The company has been executing the widening of a section of the national highway between Hnathial town and Dawn village.
(With PTI Inputs)
