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Mizoram railways bridge collapse: 22 bodies recovered, 1 still missing
According to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials, 26 people were working on the bridge when it collapsed. The reasons for the accident are yet to be ascertained, and the Indian Railways has constituted a high-level committee to investigate it
Four more bodies of workers were recovered by rescue personnel from the railway bridge girder collapse site in Mizoram’s Sairang on Thursday, taking the death toll to 22, officials of the Mizoram State Emergency Operation Centre informed. One of the workers is still missing, they said.
Officials informed that the search for one missing body is still underway, with canines from Mizoram Police Canine Unit helping in locating them.
The three workers injured in the accident have been admitted to the Durtlang Hospital in Aizawl, where their condition is stated to be stable, officials added.
The railway Bridge No. 196 over Kurung River between Bairabi and Sairang railway station collapsed at 9:45am on August 23, 2023.
According to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials, 26 people were working on the bridge when it collapsed. The reasons for the accident are yet to be ascertained, and the Indian Railways has constituted a high-level committee to investigate it.
Aizawl superintendent of police (SP) Rex Zarzoliana Vanchhawng said the police had taken up the post-mortem examination of all 22 bodies. The bodies have been handed over to state administration, who will transfer them to their home state to West Bengal.
It is worth mentioning that ABCI Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, a private contractor, has been supplying, fabricating, assembling and erecting girders and bridges for the railway line from Bairabi to Sairang, Mizoram.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from the Prime Minister Relief Fund (PMMRF) while Union Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.
