A rescue worker pulls out a woman from the mud in Noonmati on Wednesday. Picture by Biju Boro

Guwahati, May 21: At least five labourers, including four women, were buried alive when tonnes of earth — loosened by torrential rain last night — came crashing down the Sunsali hillside in the Noonmati area of the city this evening.

A seriously-injured labourer has been rescued and five bodies extricated from the debris. Residents say there could be more bodies beneath the earth, which came crashing down the slope around 5.15 pm.

City superintendent of police H.C. Nath told The Telegraph that at least six daily-wage earners were working on the Noonmati Sector One road near Sunsali when the landslide occurred. “One of the labourers was pulled out of the debris with serious injuries. We are clearing the mud to see if there are more survivors or bodies.”

The labourers were engaged in cutting earth to make way for construction of a wall commissioned by the Guwahati Refinery. They were about to call it a day when a pile of earth came down from the hill. A stretch of about eight metres was buried under tonnes of red earth.

Residents of Noonmati rushed out of their homes on hearing about the landslide and began a rescue operation even before the police arrived. Cranes are now being used to clear the debris.

A witness said that though the bodies of all five presumed victims had been recovered, the toll could mount after the entire debris was cleared. “More people may be still trapped inside the debris. But I do not think there are any survivors out there,” he said.

Top police officials are supervising the operation to rescue survivors, if any, and clear the Sector One road. Apart from cranes, excavators have been pressed into service.

Residents of the Sunsali area have demanded that Guwahati Refinery adequately compensate the families of the victims and the injured person. They accused the refinery of violating an order issued by the Kamrup administration by asking the labourers to cut earth.

The district administration banned the practice of cutting earth from hillocks following a campaign by environmentalists.

Landslides are common in the hills of the Noonmati area because of rampant deforestation.

The state forest department has been urging Dispur to evict settlers from the hills surrounding the city.