Death toll in India's Manipur massive landslide rises to 48

NEW DELHI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Search for the missing in a massive landslide in India's northeastern state of Manipur entered the sixth day Tuesday as the death toll has risen to 48, officials said.

The landslide last week hit Tupul yard railway construction camp in Noney district, where some Territorial Army (TA) men were guarding a major railway line construction site. The majority of the dead were TA personnel.

Officials said more than 400 personnel of National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, police, fire service, army, local volunteers and others have been engaged in the rescue operation.

The rescue team has deployed sniffer dogs and Through-Wall Imaging Radar to detect life presence in the debris.

The landslide has completely blocked a river flowing through Tamenglong and Noney districts.

Officials said the landslide has created a dam-like water body that will likely inundate low-lying areas once the debris is removed.

The local administration has issued an advisory to the people living in the low-lying areas, asking them to prepare for evacuation in case there is more rainfall.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh described the landslide as the worst incident in the state's history.