Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, May 20: The decomposed body of 35-year-old Kusum Roy, the third victim of May 15’s landslide at Yagamso Colony here, was retrieved from the landslide debris after the five days’ intensive search operation on Friday, police said.
With the recovery of her body, the death toll related to rain-triggered landslides in the state rose to eight. Five people have lost their lives in Itanagar capital region and three in remote Kurung Kumey district.
While confirming the recovery of Kusum’s body this noon, Itanagar Police Station OC Phassang Simi said, “The body was stuck inside a heap of debris brought in by the landslide, the reason why it could not be recovered easily.”
He informed that after completion of formalities in presence of the magistrate, her body was handed over to her relatives for performing the last rites.
Kusum, along with two of her relatives, was buried alive after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rainfall struck her kutcha house, located behind the Punjabi Dhaba at D-Sector here. The bodies of other two victims - Tapas Roy (15) and Nagen Barman (50) were recovered on the day of the incident, Sunday.
Following the incident, a joint search operation, assisted by the Itanagar Capital Complex district administration, was launched by rescue teams comprising fire and emergency services personnel, city police, NDRF and SDRF personnel with the help of machinery.