Aizawl, Aug 23 (IANS) At least 26 workers were killed and two others injured after an under-construction railway bridge collapsed near the mountainous Sairang area of Mizoram on Wednesday, officials of Mizoram Relief and Disaster Management Department said.
Police officials, however, said that 23 workers were killed and 18 bodies recovered till 5 p.m. late Wednesday afternoon.
Rescue operations involving National and State Disaster Response Force and Young Mizo Association volunteers, were unfderway to recover the bodies from under the collapsed steel structure that had toppled off towering columns into the forested valley below.
A Mizoram government statement said that the Quick Response Team (QRT) along with National Disaster Response Force have rescued one injured worker from the top of one of the bridge pillars.
Two QRT personnel -- Lalhriatzuala and Lalfakzuala -- brought down the injured worker rappelling down over the 100 metre high pillar.
Post mortem is being conducted by a team from the Zoram Medical College and Civil Hospital in Aizawl.
The bodies would be embalmed and would be handed over to the Railway Department for transportation to respective native villages, the statement said.
The Railway engineers said that the accident was due to the collapse of a gantry, which was being placed over the 104-metre piers of the under-construction bridge.
Officials said that most of the victims are believed to be from West Bengal's Malda district.
A high-level committee has been constituted by the Railway Ministry to probe the incident, railway officials said.
The railway bridge was under construction over the Kurung river connecting Bairabi (near southern Assam) to Sairang, 10 km away from the Mizoram capital Aizawl.
The accident site is about 21 km from Aizawl.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), which is implementing the 51.38-km railway project, has sent several medical and engineering teams to provide medical assistance as well as the recovery process.
NFR General Manager (Construction) Sunil Kumar Jha, along with senior officials, have also rushed to Mizoram from the NFR headquarters in Maligaon (Guwahati).
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, several Chief Ministers of the northeastern states and top leaders have expressed their deep anguish over the mishap.
The Prime Minister, who is now in Johannesburg for the BRICS Summit, announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
The Union Railway Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased, Rs two lakh towards grievous and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga was also deeply saddened over the mishap.
"Under-construction railway overbridge at Sairang, near Aizawl collapsed today; at least 17 workers died: Rescue under progress. Deeply saddened and affected by this tragedy. I extend my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. Sending gratitude to the people who have come out in large numbers to help with rescue operations,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sairang railway station is set to be the last railhead before reaching Mizoram's capital Aizawl.
Scheduled to be completed by December this year, the project would connect mountainous Aizawl with the national railway network.
There are 32 tunnels (12.67 km total length), 16 cut and cover tunnels (2.58 km total length) along the 51.38-km-long Bairabi to Sairang stretch of the broad gauge railway line, which traverses through Thingdawl and Tlangnuam areas under Kolasib and Aizawl districts respectively.
There are 55 major bridges, of which six are tall bridges having a height of more than 70 metre (the tallest being 104 metre), 87 minor bridges, five road overbridges and eight road underbridges.