Nongpoh, July, 23: A 75-year-old man died after a landslide buried his hut at a betel nut plantation in Umdap Rangi Hillside, Ri-Bhoi district, on Thursday.
The incident came to light after E. Dkhar, MCS, BDO of Umling Block, informed Byrnihat Police Station telephonically at around 11:20 am that a landslide had occurred at Umdap village, with a possibility that a person was trapped inside.
Following the information, Inspector R. Ali and SI J. Barman, along with available police personnel from Byrnihat Police Station, proceeded to the spot to conduct an inquiry.
During the inquiry, it was learned from Kmuin Kshiar, son of Iair Kshiar and resident of Lum Nongrim, Byrnihat, that his brother, Drep Kshiar, aged 75, used to stay alone in a hut at the betel nut plantation in the Umdap Rangi Hillside area.
According to the family, Drep Kshiar was last seen at Byrnihat Market on July 17, after which he went to stay at the hut and had not returned home. On Thursday morning, at around 7 am, his brother went to check on him and found that a landslide had occurred, burying the hut under mud. After receiving no response to his calls, he suspected that his brother might be trapped beneath the debris.
A search and rescue operation was subsequently launched with the assistance of the Fire and Emergency Services personnel from Byrnihat and Nongpoh, a JCB vehicle and local villagers. After considerable efforts, the rescue team recovered the body of the elderly man from beneath the landslide debris.
The family members were informed about the importance of a post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death. However, they requested exemption from the post-mortem examination, stating that they had no suspicion of foul play and believed the death was caused by the natural disaster.
Following an order granting post-mortem exemption from the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Nongpoh, the body was handed over to the deceased’s relatives.
An Unnatural Death (UD) case is being registered in connection with the incident.
