At least 21 people were killed in a massive landslide that buried an entire village in Joupi area of Manipur's Chandel district on Saturday,ANI reported. The death toll might go up as more people were feared trapped under the debris.

The incessant rains triggered four landslides in Joupi on Saturday morning and buried the tiny Kuki-dominated hamlet near the Myanmar border.

Even as residents from the neighbouring villages tried to rescue the people trapped under the debris, the lack of heavy machinery affected the chances of finding survivors, The Times of India reported. Only one Joupi resident till now has been rescued, The Hindu reported.

View Manipur Flood Photos

The rescue teams were expected to arrive only by Sunday morning (2 August) as roads in the region have been washed away due to floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains.

The main highway NH-37 which connects Manipur with Mozoram and Tripura also been affected by landslides.

"Rescue teams are being sent to Juomol at the earliest and will reach by tomorrow morning because of heavy rains and landslides. The government is trying to mount relief operations as effectively as possible," Chandel lawmaker Victor Nunghlung told NDTV.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh late in the evening said that he spoke to Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh over phone and assured him all central assistance. In a Twitter post he said that the Centre has dispatched the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Chandel district to help in the rescue work.

House Being Swept Away in the Flood in Chandel - Video

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told PTI that the NDRF will start their work early morning tomorrow.

According to a report in Counter Current the recent rains have triggered one of the worst floods in 200 years in Manipur. Several areas of Thoubal district and parts of Chandel district are submerged underwater, while the state government lacked the preparation to tackle the situation, the report emphasised. 

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