As rescue operations concluded and the victims were laid to rest at their native village of Alisopur under Tuensang district on July 29, the focus has shifted to relief, safety assessment and questions surrounding the emergency response following the devastating landslide that claimed the lives of two brothers at Upper Penli Ward, Mokokchung.

The landslide which struck a rented residential house above the Sangtam Baptist Church Pastor’s residence at around 1 a.m. on July 29 led to the loss of life of two young brothers. Their mother sustained injuries while their elder brother was also injured during the rescue efforts.

Following completion of legal formalities at the District Hospital, the bodies were taken to the Sangtam Baptist Church compound for a brief prayer service before being transported to Alisopur village, where family members, relatives, church leaders, villagers and well-wishers gathered for the final rites.

Among the first people to respond was Bisaliba Sangtam, whose family also became victims of the same landslide. Debris from the collapse destroyed the bedroom shared by him and his elder brother while partially damaging the common room and kitchen of their house.

Bisaliba said he was awake in his parents’ room when he heard a loud crashing sound between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. Rushing outside, he found the neighbouring house had already collapsed. The eldest son of the affected family was outside calling for help, pleading for a Naga dao to rescue his trapped mother and two younger brothers.

Bisaliba said neighbours and colony residents immediately joined the rescue effort and managed to pull out the injured mother from the debris within an hour. However, despite repeated attempts, they could not reach the two brothers, who remained buried under the collapsed earth and debris. He said the incident has also rendered his own house unsafe, forcing his family to temporarily shift to the nearby pastor’s quarters while planning to relocate permanently.

Bisaliba Sangtam

Bisaliba also questioned the initial emergency response. According to him, residents first attempted to call the emergency number published in Ao Milen (an Ao vernacular newspaper) but found it unreachable. He said two women of colony members later walked to the nearby SDRF office to alert personnel after receiving no response through the telephone number.

By the time rescue personnel reached the site, he estimated nearly one-and-a-half to two hours had passed. He maintained that had the neighbours waited for official responders instead of beginning the rescue themselves, the injured mother might not have survived.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) stated that the landslide trapped several members of the family beneath mud and debris. According to the DDMA, the mother and eldest son were rescued by the colony members before their arrival while SDRF personnel, police, local volunteers and colony members together continued the search for the two younger brothers.

After several hours of manual excavation under difficult weather conditions and unstable terrain, the bodies were recovered at approximately 5:30 a.m. and handed over to the Police. Following inquest and medical examination at District Hospital, the remains were released to the family.

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The timeline of the initial rescue response has since become a point of differing accounts between residents and SDRF officials. Residents maintained that the emergency number published publicly was no longer functional and said they physically informed the SDRF office after unsuccessful attempts to make contact. Some also claimed to have seen an SDRF-associated vehicle passing through the area before rescue personnel arrived at the scene.

SDRF Company Commander, Lanutemjen, however, gave a different account. He said information reached the SDRF office around 1 a.m. when two women personally reported the incident at the Home guard office. According to him, a Staff Winger vehicle was immediately dispatched to collect SDRF personnel stationed at DEF, Chuchuyimpang, as the regular rescue vehicle had already been deployed in Tuli with man power and rescue equipment because of the flood situation as standby.

Lanutemjen said he along with Sub inspector/ Battalion commander Tingkam Konyak reached the landslide site within about 20 minutes of receiving the information before the SDRF team arrived from camp site at Chuchuyimpang and found that local residents had already rescued the injured mother. SDRF personnel then joined the search operation and recovered the two brothers at around 5:25 a.m., after which the bodies were handed over to the Police.

Officials stated that 23 of the district’s 30 SDRF personnel participated in the operation, while seven personnel who were deployed in Tuli for flood response also came and joined them later. They further explained that movement of the Staff Winger between the office and DEF may have been mistaken by residents as a rescue vehicle passing the area.

The District Administration separately confirmed that the emergency contact number published in Ao Milen is no longer in use and announced that the official DDMA emergency contact number is 6009479721.

Officials also reiterated that each district has 30 SDRF personnel and clarified that manpower had been divided between the Mokokchung landslide response and flood duties in Tuli.

The owner of the upper property, Moanungsang said the retaining wall and adjoining earth behind his house collapsed suddenly without any visible warning. He recalled hearing a loud banging sound around 12:40 a.m. and initially found nothing unusual. A few minutes later, after going down his tenants site and below, he discovered that the retaining wall had collapsed onto the rented house below.

Calling the incident deeply tragic, he said the deaths of the two young boys were heartbreaking. He added that his own house remains at risk following the collapse. While he has evacuated three tenant families living below his house just above the affected retaining wall to safer places, he said he himself is not planning to relocate.

Administration assesses risks, evacuates vulnerable families

Following a site inspection, Deputy Commissioner, Ajit Kumar Verma, accompanied by officials from the DDMA and SDRF, said additional manpower would be deployed to reduce the risk posed by unstable slopes and remaining debris. Based on the assessment, the administration ordered the evacuation of two houses located in vulnerable areas and shifted the affected families to safer locations with relatives. Relief materials were distributed to the affected families, while an ex gratia assistance of ₹4 lakh for each deceased victim was also handed over to the family on July 30 at Alisopur.

The Deputy Commissioner also appealed to ward authorities, colony leaders and village councils to identify landslide-prone locations and immediately inform the DDMA so preventive measures can be taken during the ongoing monsoon season.

The DDMA identified two families that were required to vacate their houses due to continuing safety concerns. They include Odionen of Chuchuyimlang village, Mokokchung district, and Satsenthsa Sangtam of Alisopur village, Tuensang district. Both the families were provided dry ration along with financial assistance from the District administration and SDRF. Authorities said further monitoring and debris clearance will continue until the area is declared safe.

SDRF officials also highlighted broader concerns beyond the immediate tragedy, stating that many residential areas in Mokokchung remain vulnerable due to weak foundations, inadequate drainage systems and poorly constructed or deteriorating retaining walls stating out of 100 percent, 80% are at risk. They said the role of the SDRF extends beyond rescue operations to include risk assessment, disaster mitigation planning and identifying vulnerable locations in coordination with the district administration to reduce future disaster risks.