Itanagar, December 11 — A tragic accident in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district has claimed the lives of at least 18 labourers from Assam’s Tinsukia district, while three others remain missing after the truck carrying them fell into a deep gorge in a remote, mountainous stretch, officials said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on December 8 along the Hayuliang–Chaglagam Road when the vehicle, carrying 22 workers, skidded off the narrow road and plunged into a steep gorge. Defence PRO Lt Col Mahender Rawat said the sequence of events became clear only after the lone survivor narrated what had happened.
Arunachal Pradesh Disaster Management Secretary Dani Salu said an NDRF team reached a point about 10 km from Hayuliang on Thursday evening. Retrieval of bodies is expected to begin on Friday, subject to weather conditions. The accident site, located around 12 km from Chaglagam, is extremely difficult to access and has poor connectivity, he added.
Officials said the mishap went unreported for nearly two days as neither the contractor nor any local agency informed authorities. It was only on the evening of December 10 that one survivor managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, where he received first aid. The BRTF then alerted the district administration.
Due to darkness, treacherous terrain and unstable weather, an immediate rescue attempt was not possible. The NDRF was requisitioned the same night.
On Thursday morning, the Army’s Spear Corps launched a coordinated search operation with medical teams, GREF personnel, local police and civil officials. After nearly four hours of searching, the truck was located about 200 metres below the road near KM 40, hidden by dense foliage and not visible from the road or air.
The administration is questioning the sub-contractor engaged by a Zila Parishad Member from Chaglagam to verify the number and identity of the workers hired.
Assam’s Tinsukia district administration has also sent a team, including Circle Officer Jaideep Rajak and police personnel, to coordinate with Arunachal authorities. Initial reports suggest the workers were employed by a private contractor for a construction project in Hayuliang.
Tinsukia SSP Mayank Kumar said all 22 labourers were residents of Dhelaghat in the Gillapukri Tea Estate area. One worker, Budheswor Deep, survived and managed to alert his family on Wednesday morning, which led to the first information reaching Assam.
The 18 labourers identified among the dead and missing 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.
Search and retrieval operations are expected to continue on Friday, depending on weather and terrain conditions.
