It was just over a week ago that Gondaimei Lungaiphun, 50, last saw his son, daughter-in-law and infant grandchild. Perhaps, all he will see now are their remains.
Kabamgai, 27, his wife Chunthuiliu, 28, and one-year-old Jenthouliu were among those who went missing after a massive landslide hit the Tupul railway construction site late on June 29 in Manipur’s Noney district. Chunthuiliu was pregnant.
Kabamgai had set up a temporary home near the site in Makuan village, where he ran a small shop. Late on that June night, his father was woken by a friend, calling to ask about the landslide. Unable to get through to his son’s phone, Lungaiphun headed to the construction site with his younger son.
“When I arrived there, the scale of devastation sent shivers down my spine. I felt helpless. It was like a nightmare. Many security personnel were gathered near the site — as helpless as I was,” he recalls.
The disaster has so far claimed 42 lives — 27 Territorial Army personnel and 15 civilians, including railway employees, construction workers and villagers — a defence spokesperson in Guwahati said. The railway station being constructed was part of the Imphal-Jiribam Railway project. So far, 13 Territorial Army personnel and five civilians have been rescued.
But still missing are 20 people, Kabamgai and his family among them.
“I just want the mortal remains of my son’s family to be found so that I can give them a proper burial. This is my only wish at the moment. I want to appeal to the authorities to find my family members,” said Lungaiphun.
Now into its fourth day, a massive operation by a combined force of the National and State Disaster Response Forces, the Indian Army, Assam Rifles and police is underway to trace the missing people.
The operation, however, has run into hurdle after hurdle. Sporadic rain. Mud roads caused by inclement weather. The sheer volume of debris. And fear — loose soil and small boulders continue to tumble down from the hills.
“I am still in shock. I have been spending sleepless nights as I could still hear the rumbling sounds of boulders falling from the hills. I wished to shift from this place but the company informed us that it will take around two months to vacate the campus as a large number of our machinery are buried by the debris”, says Namjolung Gangmei, a driver with the construction firm.
The 35-year-old is one of the few who was present near the railway station when the landslide hit. Eighteen people, including him, were sleeping in their sheds — just a few metres away from where the landslide hit.
“It was around 11 pm. All I could see was a huge amount of earth, uprooted trees, and huge rocks. The entire landscape of the area changed,” says Gangmei. He alerted the rest of his fellow workers and moved to a safer area.
At the site, operations have been intensified taking into account the unpredictable weather conditions. Army officials said 32 excavators, radar technology and a search dog have been pressed into service. Each day, the operations start as early as 4 am and conclude at 6 pm.
“If everything goes as expected and the weather is on our side, we should be able to wrap up the operations in a few days’ time,” said Pankaj Kavadayal, Commandant, 12 NDRF.