At least 21 feared dead after truck falls into gorge near India-China border in Arunachal
The accident was reported on the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road along in Arunachal, where a truck carrying 21 labourers plunged into a deep gorge.
At least 21 workers feared dead after a truck carrying daily wage labourers from Assam’s Tinsukia district falls into gorge near India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. Rescue teams have recovered 13 bodies so far even as the rescue operations underway in the challenging terrain. The accident was reported on the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road along in Arunachal, where a truck carrying 21 labourers plunged into a deep gorge.
Truck is believed to have skidded off the hilly road
The truck is believed to have skidded off the hilly road and fallen nearly 1,000 feet into a steep gorge and the workers, all from Gelapukhuri Tea Estate in Tinsukia, were travelling to Hayuliang for construction-related work when the fatal mishap was reported.
The accident was reported when the vehicle, en route through hilly terrain, lost control and fell into a deep gorge. Rescue teams immediately rushed to the spot, with local authorities and disaster response teams reached the site to search for survivors and recover the remaining victims.
Here's what Tinsukia District Commissioner said
"Around 11 am today, we received information that a vehicle had fallen into a gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. Accordingly, we contacted the DCs of Anjaw and Teju for confirmation," Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul told PTI.
"Both the DCs said that rescue teams have so far recovered 14 bodies and found one person alive. Seven more persons are still missing," Paul said.
He said that a team from Tinsukia, comprising 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.
Deceased have been identified
The labourers believed to have died in the accident have been identified as Budheswar Deep, Rahul Kumar, Samir Deep, Joon Kumar, Pankaj Manki, Ajay Manki, Bijay Kumar, Abhay Bhumij, Rohit Manki, Birendra Kumar, Agar Tanti, Dhiren Chetia, Rajani Naag, Deep Gowala, Ramchabak Sonar, Sonatan Naag, Sanjay Kumar, Karan Kumar and Jonas Munda.
In another similar incident on December 7, six people were killed after a car fell into a 600-foot deep gorge in Saptashring Garh Ghat in Nashik’s Kalwan taluka. The accident was reported at 4 pm, and the deceased were identified as natives of Pimpalgaon Baswant in Niphad taluka.
Officials said they died on the spot and the Toyota Innova vehicle, which had seven passengers, suffered heavy damage. The deceased were identified as Kirti Patel (50), Raseela Patel (50), Vitthal Patel (65), Lata Patel (60), Vachan Patel (60) and Maniben Patel (70).