Strong storms in the wake of cyclone Remal battered Mizoram, Assam, and Meghalaya from Monday evening, resulting in at least 33 deaths and many missing people, officials said on Tuesday.
The cyclone, which became a deep depression, moved through the North-East, leaving a path of destruction – landslides, collapsed buildings, power and internet disruptions. The cyclone made landfall between Sagar Island in Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh on Sunday night.
Apart from the fatalities in the North-East, Kolkata and districts in Bengal recorded three more deaths on Tuesday, adding to the six reported the day before. The nine deaths in Bengal were attributed to electrocution, fallen trees, and house collapse.
Mizoram worst-hit
In Mizoram, 28 people lost their lives in landslides and rain-triggered events since Monday night, according to state disaster management and rehabilitation officials. The toll may rise further as rescue work continues.
State capital Aizawl was the hardest hit, with heavy rain sweeping away dozens of buildings. Thirteen bodies were retrieved from debris in Melthum locality after a stone quarry collapsed and destroyed homes.
The Mizoram govt ordered the closure of all educational institutions and offices, except for emergency and essential services.
In Assam, the cyclone claimed four lives, including a student, and injured several schoolchildren. Meghalaya reported one death in East Jaintia Hills after a wall collapsed on a 26-year-old man.
Power and communication services were disrupted across many areas due to fallen electric poles and uprooted trees in Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya.
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