7 soldiers among 8 dead in Manipur landslide; 50 missing

New Delhi, June 30

Eight persons, including seven Army soldiers and one civilian, were killed after an Army post in Noney district, Manipur, was hit by a landslide late last night.

Fifty persons, including 23 soldiers, some railway officials and civilian labourers, are missing. Rescue operations are on to trace those trapped under the debris.

Monsoon here, heavy showers in region

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• The monsoon on Thursday arrived over Delhi and several parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh
• Heavy rain left roads waterlogged in Delhi & Chandigarh. The monsoon is likely to cover the entire country by July 6

So far, 13 soldiers and five civilian labourers have been rescued from the rubble, some of them are injured. The remote post, manned by the 107 Territorial Army comprising troops of the 11 Gorkha Rifles, provides security to the under-construction mega rail line from Jiribam to Imphal.

The search operations will continue through the night. Bulldozers and other engineering equipment have been pressed into service, the Army said. Army helicopters are also on standby, waiting for the weather to clear.

Eastern Command Chief Lt Gen RP Kalita took stock of the rescue efforts.

Chief Minister of Manipur Biren Singh also visited the incident site to review the rescue operations.