Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Tuesday visited two disaster sites in Aizawl city which were severely affected by heavy rainfall from Cyclone Remal.

State Home Minister K. Sapdanga, who is also a Minister for  Disaster Management & Rehabilitation, along with several Ministers, MLAs and officials joined him in this spot inspection.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma expressed his heartfelt condolence to the families affected by the loss of lives and valuable property.

He also offered his supports and well wishes to the search and rescue operation teams, volunteers, and everyone involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Before heading to the disaster-struck sites, the Chief Minister first visited the Aizawl District Disaster Operation Centre (DC Conference Hall) to have a briefing by the officials about the latest developments regarding the disaster.

He instructed all the district disaster management authorities to prepare a detailed report for their districts. 
During this session, he announced the sanctioning of Rs 15 crore from the Disaster Mitigation Fund for the mitigation initiatives. 
Additionally, he declared that a sum of Rs 4 lakh would be provided as ex-gratia to the families of those who lost their lives due to the cyclone-induced disaster.

After this announcement by the Chief Minister, the distribution of the first instalment of ex-gratia was immediately initiated

Chief Minister Lalduhoma then proceeded to Melthum village, where the highest number of casualties occurred.

During his visit, 12 bodies were recovered from the debris and mudslides at the Melthum Calamity site, while 3 were recovered from the Hlimen sites and 2 from Falkawn sites.

These bodies underwent post-mortem examinations at the Melthum Presbyterian Hall.

The Chief Minister and Home Minister personally handed over Rs 2 lakh each to the identified 8  victims belonging to local communities as the initial payment of ex-gratia.

The remaining Rs 2 lakh will be disbursed after all reports are finalized. For non-resident casualties, bank transfers will be arranged upon identification and completion of necessary reports.

Additionally, the Chief Minister provided Rs 50,000 to the Melthum Branch YMA to cover search and rescue expenses in their locality.

Following their program at the Hall, the Chief Minister and Home Minister toured all the rescue operation sites in Melthum. However, due to connectivity issues, they were unable to visit the Hlimen calamity site.
After concluding their visit to Melthum, the Chief Minister proceeded to the site of the landslide at Kanan Locality Cemetery.

The Local authorities reported that 51 graves were exposed and destroyed by the landslide. At this juncture, many buried dead bodies were identified and already recovered.

The Chief Minister also allocated Rs 50,000 to assist with their rescue expenses. Even as the search and rescue operation is ongoing, the exact number of casualties has not been confirmed yet.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)