Arunachal accident: PM, Assam CM announce Rs 7 lakh ex gratia for victims
Guwahati: Families of the workers who died in the Anjaw truck accident will receive ex gratia payments of Rs 5 lakh from the Assam Chief Minister and Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister.
Injured survivors will be given Rs 50,000 from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
Assam’s Art and Culture Minister Bimal Borah said on Friday that rescue operations resumed after being temporarily suspended due to darkness.
The first body was recovered from the gorge around 1:40 pm, and efforts continue to retrieve the remaining victims.
Borah added that without the lone survivor reaching authorities, the accident might have gone unnoticed. The recovered bodies will be sent for post-mortem examinations.
The accident occurred on Monday when a truck carrying workers from Tinsukia district in Assam skidded off the Hayuliang–Chaglagam Road and fell into a deep gorge.
Several workers are presumed dead, marking it as one of the deadliest road accidents in the region in recent years.
The crash came to light only on Wednesday when the lone survivor reached the Chipra GREF camp and alerted authorities.
Following his report, the Army launched a large-scale search and rescue operation the same night.
The accident site, about 12 km short of Chaglagam near KM 40, is a remote, forested stretch with poor road connectivity. Dense tree cover concealed the wreckage, making it invisible even from the air.
Multiple Army teams on Thursday, assisted by medical units, GREF personnel, NDRF teams, local police, and civil administration officials, descended the nearly 200-metre-deep gorge using belay ropes.
The vehicle was located around 11:55 am after nearly four hours of effort. Seventeen victims have been identified so far, and the bodies have been taken to the District Hospital in Hayuliang for post-mortem and other formalities.
Earlier, Disaster Management Secretary Dani Salu said operations had to be paused due to darkness and the dangerous terrain, leaving some bodies untraced.
Several senior officials and elected representatives, including Arunachal Pradesh minister and local MLA Dasanglu Pul, visited the site to oversee operations and assure families of full assistance.
The ongoing rescue involves coordinated efforts from Army Spear Corps teams, NDRF, 116 RCC Rifle, 9th Madras Regiment, local police, Tinsukia Police, GREF, and DDMA teams from Anjaw and Tinsukia, along with district medical and administrative officials.
The Anjaw district administration and DDMA, under Deputy Commissioner Millo Kojing, continue to closely monitor the operation.
Despite the hazardous terrain and low visibility, rescue teams are working continuously to recover bodies and assist victims’ families.