In a heartbreaking incident, an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram collapsed, claiming the lives of 26 individuals. Police authorities initially reported 23 worker fatalities, with 18 bodies having been recovered as of 5 p.m. on a late Wednesday afternoon.
Promptly launched rescue operations, coordinated by National and State Disaster Response Forces in conjunction with Young Mizo Association volunteers, are currently underway. The focus is on retrieving bodies from beneath the fallen steel structure, which had toppled from towering columns into the forested valley below.
A statement issued by the Mizoram government highlighted that a Quick Response Team (QRT) and the National Disaster Response Force successfully rescued an injured worker situated atop one of the bridge pillars. This daring feat was accomplished by QRT personnel Lalhriatzuala and Lalfakzuala, who skillfully rappelled down the towering 100-meter pillar.
#WATCH | Mizoram: Search & rescue operation underway in the Sairang area about 20 km from Aizawl where the under-construction railway bridge collapsed. pic.twitter.com/XmkM4hturS
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023
Post-mortem examinations are being conducted by a team from the Zoram Medical College and Civil Hospital in Aizawl. The bodies are slated for embalming before being handed over to the Railway Department for transportation to their respective native villages, as per the official statement.
Railway engineers have attributed the accident to the collapse of a gantry that was being positioned over the 104-meter piers of the bridge under construction. Preliminary information suggests that a significant number of the victims hail from West Bengal’s Malda district.
Responding swiftly to the incident, the Railway Ministry has constituted a high-level committee to investigate the matter, according to railway officials.