Massive landslide sweeps away 2 houses, eatery, shop in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jul 14 (PTI) At least two houses, a roadside eatery and a shop have been swept away by a massive landslide in a village in south Mizoram's Lunglei district early Tuesday, officials said. No casualty has been reported as the occupants and their belongings were evacuated before the incident, which also affected traffic movement on National Highway 2 linking Lunglei with Lawngtlai district, they said. The landslide swept away two houses that stood on the other side of the road in Tawipui South village at around 5 am, officials said. The area has experienced several minor mudslides over the past few days, starting on July 9. Residents living near the affected area had already moved their belongings to safer locations on Monday after signs of an imminent landslide became apparent, officials said. The occupants of the affected buildings had also been relocated, preventing any loss of life, officials said. The company, which monitors the highway, is yet to clear the debris as the area continues to experience soil drops from the cliff, they said. Tawipui South is located about 45 km from Lunglei and about 30 km from Lawngtlai town, which has been cut off from the rest of the state due to the landslide. Mizoram has been experiencing incessant rain since around July 3, causing landslides, rockfalls and floods at several locations. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms with lightning in almost all parts of the state, including Aizawl for three days from Tuesday to Thursday. PTI CORR NN