21 Labourers From Assam Feared Dead After Truck Falls Into Arunachal Gorge

At least 21 people are feared dead after a vehicle carrying daily-wage labourers from Assam's Tinsukia district plunged into a gorge in Arunachal Pradesh.

The accident occurred on the night of December 8 on the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road near the China border. However, due to the area's remote location, lack of network connectivity, and poor road conditions, it was only reported to the authorities late on Wednesday evening.

According to police, the search and rescue operation began on Thursday morning.

A video that surfaced on Wednesday showed the lone survivor, Buddheswar Deep, badly injured, sitting on the edge of the road. He had managed to climb back up after the truck plunged into the gorge.

According to a press release shared by the Army, the vehicle veered off the treacherous mountain road and plunged nearly 200 metres into a dense, inaccessible forested gorge.

A total of 22 people were travelling in the dumper truck, which was ferrying daily-wage labourers to a construction site in Arunachal Pradesh. The vehicle fell at least 1,000 feet down the gorge.

At least 18 bodies have been recovered, the press release read. The rescue operation is still underway.

Nineteen of the victims have been identified. All of them belonged to Gelapukhuri Tea Estate in Assam's Tinsukia district.

Apart from Deep, the other labourers who are dead or went missing have been identified as 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.