Nagaland landslide death toll climbs to seven as CM Neiphiu Rio surveys devastated Mon district

Rain‑laden clouds over Nagaland finally broke, but the price the state pays is steep. In the hilly Mon district, mud‑filled slides and sudden floods have ripped through villages, turning quiet lanes into rivers of debris.

As of Monday, the official death count has risen to seven – the latest two bodies were recovered by rescue volunteers, one of them a 13‑year‑old boy whose family now mourns in the same valley where the tragedy unfolded. Two more people are still unaccounted for, tangled in the wreckage, and search teams are pressing on, hoping for answers.

Deputy Commissioner Wennyei Konyak said the worst‑hit area is the Tizit sub‑division, where a resident drowned in the swollen floodwaters. He added that roughly 800 houses have been either partially or completely damaged, leaving nearly 4,500 residents without shelter or basic services.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio touched down in Mon on Monday to get a first‑hand look at the devastation. He met with local officials, tribal leaders and the youth volunteers who have been cranking up relief efforts around the clock. During the visit, Rio handed over a cash assistance of ₹10 lakh to civil‑society groups headed by the Konyak Union, earmarked for immediate relief distribution.

In a short note posted on X, the chief minister wrote, “Visited Mon to assess conditions on the ground, met community leaders and relief teams, reviewed response and restoration work, and conducted an aerial survey of Tizit and Tuli. The government remains committed to relief and early restoration of affected areas.”

Beyond the cash handout, Rio announced an ex‑gratia payment of ₹4 lakh for the families of each of the seven deceased and ₹74,000 for anyone injured in the disaster.

The Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) has put all district disaster management bodies on high alert, activating emergency operation centres and urging evacuations from low‑lying, water‑logged zones and unstable riverbanks. Besides Mon, the districts of Mokokchung, Shamator and Wokha are also grappling with landslides, flash floods and severe waterlogging.

For now, the biggest challenges on the ground are two‑fold: locating the two missing persons and clearing the blocked roads that have left Mon cut off from the rest of the state. Authorities say they are focusing resources on those priorities, hoping to restore a sliver of normalcy to the shaken communities.