At least 17 people have died, and several are feared dead after the ongoing construction of a railway bridge over the Kurung River, connecting Bairabi and Sairang, collapsed in the Sairang area near Aizawl on Wednesday, the police said.
The incident occurred around 10 am when the workers were at the construction site, trying to fix segments of the bridge, according to their statement.
Approximately 35-40 workers are trapped in the rubble. The police have confirmed the recovery of 17 bodies from the debris so far, while several others are still missing.
They mentioned that the death toll is likely to increase. The police stated that further details are awaited.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the family members of the deceased, and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the victims.
“Pained by the bridge mishap in Mizoram. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being given to those affected. “An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured,” the Prime Minister’s Office said on X.
Meanwhile, in response to the tragic incident West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences and shock. She revealed that some of the deceased workers were from the Malda district in her state. She instructed her officials to coordinate with the Mizoram government to provide assistance for the rescue operation.
