Mon landslide survivors recount heartbreaking losses at memorial service as families mourn victims and begin rebuilding lives after the disaster
DIMAPUR — For Hetwang Konyak, the landslide claimed his parents, brother and best friend. For Yinai Konyak, it took his wife. A week after the devastating July 19 landslide in Mon, what remains is more than mud and shattered homes. It has left families struggling to rebuild not only their houses, but also their lives and hope after losing the loved ones who were once their shelter and strength.
The Konyak Baptist Church, Mon town, on Sunday organised a prayer and candlelight service in memory of the landslide victims, where survivors Hetwang Konyak and Yinai Konyak recounted the final moments they shared with their families before tragedy struck.
The bodies of Yinai's wife, Pomei Konyak, and Hetwang's best friend, Pangho Konyak, were not recovered despite six days of intensive search operations, which were called off on Friday evening. Symbolic funeral services were held for both on Saturday.
For Yinai Konyak, Sunday morning (July 19) began like any other. "We were still in bed," he recalled.
Also read: Mon landslide: Search for missing persons called off, funeral held
As heavy rain intensified, he and his wife stepped out separately to help neighbours in different directions. Moments later, the hillside gave way. Caught in the mudslide, Yinai managed to cling to a tree. When he looked back, his entire neighbourhood had disappeared.
He rushed home in search of his two children. They had escaped through a window and taken shelter at a neighbour's house. But his wife, Pomei Konyak, a counsellor at a prayer home in Mon, was nowhere to be found.
Despite searching desperately through the debris, he could not find her. "I believe she is with God," Yinai said. "Let us pray that we never have to face such a tragedy again."
Hetwang Konyak is now the sole survivor of his immediate family. His best friend, Pangho Konyak, who had come to stay with him for a week, also lost his life in the landslide.
On that Sunday morning, the family was still at home when disaster struck. Fighting back tears, Hetwang recalled that his father had gone downhill while he had stepped out to clear a blocked waterway. Minutes later, the landslide swept through the area.
"I saw a hand moving in the mud. I ran to save him. It was my brother, but I could not save him. Then I saw my mother lying there," he said.
Within minutes, he had lost his parents, brother and best friend. Though he survived, his family and home did not. "I am left alone. My whole family was taken away," he said, overcome with grief. "Please continue to pray that God gives me strength."
Nine people lost their lives in Mon district after incessant rain triggered devastating landslides and flash floods in the early hours of July 19, cutting off large parts of the district from the rest of Nagaland.
In an earlier statement, the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) said that the widespread landslides and flash floods across the state were triggered by a cloudburst on July 19 and 20. According to the authority, almost all districts were placed under a red alert on July 19. Mon recorded 130 mm of rainfall, while Mokokchung received 126 mm—among the highest in the state.
The heavy rain also battered neighbouring districts, with Longleng, Tuensang, Kiphire and Mokokchung reporting extensive damage. In Mokokchung district, Tuli town witnessed one of its worst flash floods in recent years, the NSDMA said.