13 die, 16 missing as stone quarry collapses in northeast India

13 die, 16 missing as stone quarry collapses in northeast India

GUWAHATI, India, May 28 (AP/UNB) — A stone quarry has collapsed Tuesday in India’s northeast due to heavy rains triggered by a tropical storm, killing 13 quarry workers, officials said. Another 16 remain missing.

Senior police officer Rahul Alwal said rescuers recovered the bodies of those killed from the quarry in Melthum, some 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the state capital Aizwal, and were able to pull out two workers alive from the debris.

Alwal said rescue workers are digging through the rubble to try and reach the trapped workers while looking for more survivors.

India’s northeastern states are witnessing heavy rainfall after tropical storm Remal made landfall in Bangladesh on Monday.

India’s Meteorological Department has warned that heavy rains may cause damage to vulnerable structures and thatched houses, and result in landslides in the region.