India: Incessant rains cause quarry collapse, cyclone deaths climb to 23

Torrential rains caused by cyclone Remal caused a stone quarry to collapse in India’s northeastern state of Mizoram, killing 12 people and trapping seven, while 11 more died in landslides and other accidents elsewhere in the remote region, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

The powerful cyclone had weakened into a depression after devastating regional coastlines the previous day, when it killed at least 16 and cut power to millions in parts of eastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Remal is the first of the frequent storms expected to pound the low-lying coasts of India and Bangladesh this year as climate change drives up sea surface temperatures.