GUWAHATI: At least 18 people died when a truck, in which they were travelling in, plunged into a deep gorge near Metengliang in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The mishap occurred on the night of December 8 but authorities learnt about it on December 10 after an injured survivor had managed to reach a camp of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and narrated the incident. After first aid, he was shifted to Assam for further treatment.
A group of 22 labourers had left from Assam’s Tinsukia district for Chaglagam in Anjaw district on December 7 to work at a construction site. Fellow workers were alarmed when they did not reach their destination on time.
Based on their complaint, the Hayuliang police in Anjaw district launched a search operation and later, they received information from the GREF camp about the lone survivor.
The police said the mishap, which occurred at a place located around 12 km from Chaglagam, remained unreported for two days due to the absence of mobile connectivity in the region.
A defence ministry statement said the Indian Army launched a major search and rescue operation based on information received late on December 10.
“Preliminary inputs from the lone survivor, who managed to reach Chipra GREF Camp, indicate that a truck carrying 22 workers from Tinsukia fell off a cliff. The accident site 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,” the statement said.
After four hours of intensive search and rope descent on Thursday (December 11) by the teams of Army, police, National Disaster Response Force and GREF, the truck was spotted around 200 metres below the road in a re-entrant, inaccessible and not visible from helicopters or the road due to dense tree cover and thick foliage.
“Eighteen bodies have been sighted and are being retrieved using belay ropes,” the statement said.
Authorities were questioning the sub-contractor to verify the antecedents and exact strength of the workers hired.
“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,” the statement further stated.