18 from Assam killed, 3 missing as truck falls into gorge in Arunachal

At least 18 people from Assam's Tinsukia district have been killed and three others are missing as the truck they were travelling in fell into a remote gorge in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Hayuliang-Chaglagam Road in Anjaw district in the eastern part of the hill state on December 8 when a truck was carrying 22 labourers from Tinsukia district, Defence PRO Lt Col Mahender Rawat said, citing the lone survivor's version.

The accident site, approximately 12 km from Chaglagam, lies in difficult terrain with limited connectivity and had not been reported by any local agency, contractor or civil representative until the survivor's arrival, Rawat said in a statement.

"Eighteen bodies have been sighted and are being retrieved using belay ropes. ADC of Hayuliang has informed SP of Anjaw, who has reached the site, while the District Medical Officer is moving to facilitate evacuation of casualties and mortal remains," he said.

Rawat said that preliminary inputs from the survivor, who managed to reach Chipra General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) camp, indicate that a truck carrying 22 workers from Tinsukia fell off a cliff on the night of December 8.

"The Indian Army has launched a major search and rescue operation in the Chaglagam region of Arunachal Pradesh. The operations were initiated based on information received late on December 10 regarding a vehicle accident along the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road near KM 40," he added.

The Defence PRO said that the Army's Spear Corps on the early morning of Thursday mobilised multiple search and rescue columns, medical teams, GREF representatives, local police, NDRF personnel and the ADC of Hayuliang.

"At 1155 hours, after four hours of intensive search and rope descent, the truck was spotted around 200 metres below the road near KM 40 in a re-entrant, inaccessible and not visible from helicopters or the road due to dense tree cover and thick foliage," he added.

The Anjaw District Administration has requisitioned the SDRF, which is en route at present.

"ADC Hayuliang is also questioning the sub-contractor of the Zila Parishad Member, Chaglagam, to verify the antecedents and exact strength of the workers hired," Rawat said.

"Despite harsh terrain and poor visibility, the Indian Army, in coordination with civil administration and other agencies, is making all possible efforts to trace the remaining individuals and provide immediate assistance," he added.

Earlier during the day, Assam's Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul told PTI that at around 11 am, they received information about a vehicle falling into a gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district.

"Accordingly, we contacted the DCs of Anjaw and Teju for confirmation. Both the DCs said that rescue teams have so far recovered several bodies and found one person alive. Some more persons are still missing," he added.

Paul said that a team from Tinsukia, comprising the circle officer and police personnel, have been dispatched to the neighbouring state to get more updates.

"They have reached Tezu and within 2-3 hours, we will be able to give more details," the Tinsukia DC added.

Tinsukia Circle Officer Jaideep Rajak, who is on the way to the spot, told PTI that the location is remote and the exact details will be known only after reaching the site.

"Initial reports indicated that the workers were engaged by a private contractor in a project in Hayuliang. They were travelling in a dumper that skidded off the road and fell nearly 1,000 feet into a deep gorge. Rescue operations are underway," he added.

Tinsukia Senior Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar said that 22 labourers from the district had gone to Arunachal Pradesh for the construction of a hostel.

"They were from Dhelaghat of Gillapukri Tea Estate. Out of the 22 people in the dumper, 21 are reportedly dead," he added.

One of the workers, Budheswor Deep, managed to escape from the spot and called up his relatives on Wednesday morning. This phone call first alerted the families about the incident, Kumar said.

Apart from Deep, 18 more labourers, including the dead and the missing, have been identified. They are Rahul Kumar, Somir Deep, Arjun Kumar, Pankaj Manki, Ajay Manki, Bijay Kumar, Abhoy Bhumij, Rohit Manki, Birendra Kumar, Agor Tanti, Dhiren Chatriya, Rojoni Nag, Deep Gowala, Ramsebak Suna, Sonaton Nag, Sanjay Kumar, Karan Kumar and Junash Munda.