Khan’s body was found around 12:30 pm, more than 31 hours after the landslide struck Chirag Nagar early Wednesday morning.
The hillside collapsed at around 3:48 am, sending mud, rocks and debris onto homes in Gaushiya Chawl. Eight residents died in the incident, while seven others were injured.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) called off the search and rescue operation on Thursday afternoon after confirming that all the reported victims had been accounted for.
Khan had been living in the area for nearly 20 years. He ran a general store that had earlier been operated by his father. His father had later returned to their native Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Khan lived alone in a room next to the shop. His wife and three-year-old son were staying with his parents in Sultanpur.
The rescue operation was particularly difficult because of the densely packed settlement and narrow lanes. Heavy equipment and earthmovers could not reach the affected area, forcing rescuers to depend largely on manual excavation.
The 35-member NDRF team was divided into three groups. One group removed the debris, another cleared it from the site and the third moved it away. Rescuers also formed a human chain to speed up the process.
NDRF team commander Inspector Hanumant Namba said rescuers had to work carefully because of the unstable debris and large boulders.
One of the first major rescue efforts involved a house where four people were believed to be trapped. Around 9 am on Wednesday, five hours after the landslide, all four were rescued.
Namba recalled seeing a mother trying to protect her children during the collapse. The rescuers eventually managed to pull her two children out of her embrace.
The operation became even more challenging when rescuers reached the house of Vikret Yadav. His body was trapped under a boulder that was around 10 feet tall.
The team had to break the boulder and dig deep into the debris. After finding a mobile phone and signs of a person underneath, rescuers eventually recovered Yadav’s body.
The search for Khan proved to be the most difficult part of the operation. Two large boulders had to be broken before rescuers could reach him.
According to Namba, the boulders became unstable whenever the upper one was being broken. It took around 12 hours to remove one boulder and break the second.
Khan’s body was finally recovered on Thursday afternoon.
The NDRF team had reached the site after receiving information about the landslide at around 4:30 am. Specialised equipment was prepared within minutes, along with the team’s canine squad.
The rescuers used life-detection equipment to check for people trapped beneath the debris. They also used a two-year-old Labrador named Jassi to search the area.
Before using the equipment and sniffer dog, rescuers called out to people who might be trapped. They asked anyone alive beneath the rubble to either shout or strike a solid object three times.
However, these methods did not produce any response. The rescue teams then relied on manual digging to reach those trapped under the debris.
The team also remained alert to the risk of another landslide while the operation was underway. A separate group was positioned to monitor the hillside for any unusual movement.
After more than 31 hours of continuous efforts, rescuers confirmed that no more victims remained trapped and ended the operation on Thursday.
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