ITANAGAR, May 20: With recovery of the body of the third victim, who remained missing after being washed away in a landslide in the city five days back, the bodies of all the three landslide victims in the C-D Sector here have been retrieved.
The body has been identified as that of 35-year-old Kusum Rai.
A total of three persons died after an OBT barrack at Yagamso Colony behind the Punjabi Dhaba in C-D sector of the city was washed away in a landslide, triggered by heavy rains, on May 15 night.
All the three persons were buried in the debris.
The bodies of two persons were retrieved within a few hours while the body of the third victim could not be located and a search operation was launched.
The search operation was launched by the NDRF, SDRF and Capital Police with support from locals and two JCBs were deployed. The search operation continued even in night hours but remained unsuccessful.
Two JCBs were damaged and one Falkland also got damaged in the course of the search operation and the deployment of a huge contingent of NDRF and SDRF could not receive any result.
However, with a hope to get the body of the deceased, the search operation was continued and the locals and youths of the area were engaged.
One Falkland with a last hope was used and with the support of SDRF and locals at around 11 AM on Friday, the body of the third victim was spotted and retrieved.
In the search operation, the efforts of the officers and administrative officers of Capital administration, led by Capital Deputy Commissioner Talo Potom, Capital Police team, led by Superintendent of Police Jimmy Chiram, SDPO Kamdam Sikom, OC Inspector Phasang Simi, Capital DDMO Moromi Sonam and Itanagar EAC Takam Nicolas have been lauded.
During the critical period, Itanagar MLA Techi Kaso, Itanagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Tame Phassang, Arunachal Pradesh Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (APB& OCWWB) chairman Nyato Dukam visited the devastating site and met the victims’ family members and tried to extend possible help and support during the hours of crisis.
EAC Takam Nicholas informed that the search operation was difficult as despite engaging men and machineries, the swamp like condition of the approach road was posing difficulty in the search operation and accordingly, 6 trucks of boulders were laid over swampy areas by Poclain to make the area feasible for machineries.
DDMO Moromi Dodum Sonam informed that the body has been handed over to her family.
