A portion of the National Highway 29 connecting Dimapur and Kohima in northeastern state Nagaland was eroded following a massive landslide, resulting in the death of six individuals and injuring several others, sources said on Wednesday.
As per sources, the incident occurred in the New Chümoukedima and Pherima areas of Kohima.
The Nagaland State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) retrieved six bodies this afternoon from the debris. Currently, over 100 vehicles and people are stranded due to this unexpected situation, exacerbated by heavy rainfall.
Moreover, the prolonged downpour on Tuesday night has created severe disruption, leading to a shortage of essential supplies in Kohima, sources added. Residents of Kohima are facing a food crisis, with essential items such as cooking gas becoming scarce. The situation has been worsened by the inability of goods-carrying trucks to reach Kohima for the past ten days.
As per officials, road clearing works are in progress but the national highway is now completely cut off for vehicular movement.
Meanwhile, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio convened a meeting today and took stock of the situation on NH-29. He also requested citizens to heed to official advisories. He also extended his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.
In a post on platform 'X' earlier today, Rio wrote, "I'm deeply concerned by large scale destruction on NH-29 caused by incessant rainfall. Authorities are on-site assessing the situation & helping those affected. The State Govt will continue to pursue with the GoI & @nhidcl for immediate measures & restore normalcy at the earliest."
