3 of kin, including 12-yr-old daughter die in Guwahati landslide, 1 rescued: Cop

A tragic landslide struck a house in Guwahati's Noonmati area on Tuesday morning, claiming the lives of three family members and leaving one member, a 19-year-old son, rescued and in treatment. The incident unfolded around 8am near Lakshmi Mandir in the Mathgharia region, where a substantial portion of a hill collapsed onto the dwelling, trapping the victims under the debris.

District Commissioner Swapneel Paul confirmed that the deceased were Nagen Rajbongshi (44), his wife Sanu Rajbongshi (38), and their 12-year-old daughter, Meena Rajbongshi. Biplab Rajbongshi managed to escape the tragedy. The district commissioner stated that the victims resided near the hill, and a massive stone directly fell onto their house, resulting in immediate fatalities.

The bodies were retrieved by the district disaster management department's security teams and transferred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for postmortem examinations. Paul further disclosed that the district administration would investigate whether the family had legal rights to the land in the vulnerable area. Earlier in the week, heavy rains were attributed as the potential cause of the landslide, which also led to waterlogging in several parts of Guwahati.

Another incident occurred in Taltala village, where a 65-year-old resident, P Sumitra, succumbed to injuries sustained after a large stone fell onto her house while she was asleep. Sumitra was among three locals who sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment. Four deaths have been confirmed thus far, with additional individuals sustaining injuries from the landslide, and rescue and restoration efforts are currently underway.