Indian town wiped out in landslides

A town in India's northeast has been wiped out, killing at least 16 people, after heavy rains triggered landslides.

Water logged street in Kolkata

Water logged street after a heavy shower in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Source: NurPhoto

Heavy rains and mudslides in India's mountainous northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh have killed 16 people and six more are still missing.

The landslide on Tuesday hit the village of Laptap in Pamumpare district, about 40 km south of the state capital Itanagar.

"According to preliminary reports, a hill caved in on a human settlement area trapping about two dozen-odd villagers. Locals have retrieved 16 bodies from the area and about six more people are reported to be missing," Nabam Tuki, a local lawmaker, told Reuters by telephone.

"All roads leading to the village are cut off as there are heavy landslides. Medical teams are having a tough time reaching the village.

"We suspect the death toll would mount as no rescue effort is possible now with the weather conditions very bad," Tuki said.

In adjoining Assam, three people died in floods and landslides on Tuesday, taking the death toll in the state to 33 in the past 15 days.

Over 1.2 million people have been affected by floods in over 2000 villages in the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said in a bulletin.

The floodwaters have swamped over 100,000 hectares of agricultural land, damaging standing crops, it said.


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Source: AAP


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