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AIZAWL: At least 15 people were trapped and feared to be dead when a stone quarry collapsed on the workers near Maudarh village in south Mizoram’s Hnahthial district on Monday afternoon.
Police said that the people feared to be killed by the massive slide were working under Anupam Bricks and Concrete Industries Limited (ABCIL) constructing widening of National Highway No. 54 between Hnahthial town and Dawn village sector.
Eye witnesses said that the workers had dug too deep and upset the stability of the stone quarry resulting in the entire hill coming down on the workers.
The massive landslip occurred when the workers resumed works after a lunchbreak, they said, adding that at least 15 workers, all of them non-locals, were feared trapped in the debris. The landslip also buried five Hitachi excavators, a big stone crusher and a drilling machine.
"As if a warning, one or two big stones fell down and some of the workers fled the area, but 15 people could not manage to escape the landslide," Vanlalzuia, secretary of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) of nearby Leite village said.
Rescue works have been undertaken by the company workers, police, healthcare workers and volunteers from Hnahthial town and surrounding villages with the help of excavators.
No dead body has so far been recovered as the debris was like a big hill crushing the unfortunate workers.
Arrangements have also been made to evacuate the bodies to Hnahthial district hospital and ambulances were being kept ready at the site of the gory incident.
Hnahthial district administration officials including the district SP had reached the place of the incident.
