15 feared trapped as stone quarry collapses in Mizoram; rescue ops underway

Upon receiving information, Hnahthial district officials and police accompanied by a medical team rushed to the spot. Young Mizo Association (YMA) Volunteers were also at the spot to help the officials with rescue efforts

At least 15 labourers are feared trapped after a stone quarry collapsed in south Mizoram’s Hnahthial district about 160 km from Aizawl on Monday, police said.

Maudarh is a small hamlet located about 23 km away from Hnahthial town and 39 km away from Lunglei town (Twitter Image)

The incident occurred around 3:30pm when labourers of ABCI Infrastructure private limited were working in the quarry at Maudarh village, they said.

According to the police, the majority of workers managed to escape at the time of the incident, however, around 15, who could get out were buried under the debris as the quarry caved in, police said.

“We don’t have details on the exact number of people trapped. It could be anywhere between 10 and 15. Most of them (labourers) are from outside Mizoram,” said R Lalremsanga, deputy commissioner of Hnahthial district.

Upon receiving information, Hnahthial district officials and police accompanied by a medical team rushed to the spot. Young Mizo Association (YMA) Volunteers were also at the spot to help the officials with rescue efforts.

A rescue operation to pull out the workers is underway, said police.

According to the police, they have not discovered a dead body so far from the debris giving hope that all the trapped workers could be alive.

Maudarh is a small hamlet located about 23 km away from Hnahthial town and 39 km away from Lunglei town.

The ABCI company, currently constructing a highway between Hnahthial and Dawn village, collects stones or boulders from Maudarh the quarry.