At least 18 people from Assam’s Tinsukia district were killed and three others are missing as the truck they were travelling in fell into a remote gorge in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.

The accident took place on Hayuliang-Chaglagam Road in Anjaw district in the eastern part of the hill State on December 8 when a truck was carrying 22 labourers from Tinsukia district, Defence PRO Lt Col Mahender Rawat said, citing the lone survivor’s version.

The site, approximately 12 km from Chaglagam, lies in difficult terrain with limited connectivity and the accident had not been reported by any local agency, contractor or civil representative until the survivor’s arrival, Rawat said in a statement.

“Eighteen bodies have been sighted and are being retrieved using belay ropes. ADC of Hayuliang has informed SP of Anjaw, who has reached the site, while the District Medical Officer is moving to facilitate the evacuation of casualties and mortal remains,” he said.

Rawat said that preliminary inputs from the survivor, who managed to reach Chipra General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) camp, indicate that a truck carrying 22 workers from Tinsukia fell off a cliff on the night of December 8.

“The Indian Army has launched a major search and rescue operation in the Chaglagam region of Arunachal Pradesh. The operations were initiated based on information received late on December 10 regarding a vehicle accident along the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road near KM 40,” he added.

The Defence PRO said that the Army’s Spear Corps on the early morning of Thursday mobilised multiple search and rescue columns, medical teams, GREF representatives, local police, NDRF personnel and the ADC of Hayuliang.

“At 1155 hours, after four hours of intensive search and rope descent, the truck was spotted around 200 metres below the road near KM 40 in a re-entrant, inaccessible and not visible from helicopters or the road due to dense tree cover and thick foliage,” he added.

The Anjaw District Administration has requisitioned the SDRF, which is en route at present.

“ADC Hayuliang is also questioning the sub-contractor of the Zila Parishad Member, Chaglagam, to verify the antecedents and exact strength of the workers hired,” Rawat said.

“Despite harsh terrain and poor visibility, the Indian Army, in coordination with civil administration and other agencies, is making all possible efforts to trace the remaining individuals and provide immediate assistance,” he added.

Earlier during the day, Assam’s Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul said that at around 11 am, they received information about a vehicle falling into a gorge in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district.

“Accordingly, we contacted the DCs of Anjaw and Teju for confirmation. Both the DCs said that rescue teams have so far recovered several bodies and found one person alive. Some more persons are still missing,” he added.

Paul said that a team from Tinsukia, comprising the circle officer and police personnel, have been dispatched to the neighbouring State to get more updates.

“They have reached Tezu and within 2-3 hours, we will be able to give more details,” the Tinsukia DC added.

Tinsukia Circle Officer Jaideep Rajak, who is on the way to the spot, said that the location is remote and the exact details will be known only after reaching the site.

“Initial reports indicated that the workers were engaged by a private contractor in a project in Hayuliang. They were travelling in a dumper that skidded off the road and fell nearly 1,000 feet into a deep gorge. Rescue operations are underway,” he added.

Tinsukia Senior Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar said that 22 labourers from the district had gone to Arunachal Pradesh for the construction of a hostel.

“They were from Dhelaghat of Gillapukri Tea Estate. Out of the 22 people in the dumper, 21 are reportedly dead,” he added.

One of the workers, Budheswor Deep, managed to escape from the spot and called up his relatives on Wednesday morning. This phone call first alerted the families about the incident, Kumar said.

Apart from Deep, 18 more labourers, including the dead and the missing, have been identified. They are Rahul Kumar, Somir Deep, Arjun Kumar, Pankaj Manki, Ajay Manki, Bijay Kumar, Abhoy Bhumij, Rohit Manki, Birendra Kumar, Agor Tanti, Dhiren Chatriya, Rojoni Nag, Deep Gowala, Ramsebak Suna, Sonaton Nag, Sanjay Kumar, Karan Kumar and Junash Munda.

Guwahati fire rages for over 38 hours; multiple agencies called

Guwahati: A massive fire that broke out at a commercial complex in Guwahati remained untamed for over 38 hours even as more than two dozen fire tenders have been struggling to douse the blaze, officials said on Thursday.

The fire broke out at Swagata Square Complex in ABC Point around 12.30 am on Wednesday. The multi-storey building houses SBI’s zonal office, commercial branch and the premium banking branch, and a shopping mall, ‘Sohum Emporia’.

More than 25 fire tenders have been struggling for over 38 hours. Water tenders from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Guwahati Refinery also joined the efforts to douse the blaze, while NDRF was called in to assist with their high-tech smoke reduction machine.

Apart from Guwahati, fire tenders came from Morigaon, Kamrup and Nalbari districts, as well. “There is fire on the sixth floor. We are trying to douse it,” a senior official of the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) said. Smoke is also billowing from the second floor, where the fire originated at the godown of the shopping mall, he added.

“There is fire at the backside of the building. However, due to non-adherence to safety norms while construction, fire tenders are unable to reach the rear,” another official said.

He said the authorities concerned did not enforce the required safety norms while permitting a commercial structure of this size.

Visiting the site, Kamrup Metropolitan District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan said preliminary enquiries found that the building had all safety clearances.

“The building owner said the audit was done two months ago. So, prima facie, it seems the building does not have any issue,” he told reporters.

The authorities will wait for a final report from the F&ES Department after dousing the blaze, Sattawan said.

“If there is any lapse, we will definitely take action against those responsible. We will come to know about the details of the origin of the fire from the report,” he added.

So far, only one firefighter has sustained a minor injury and was treated at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

“Our boys immediately responded to the fire call post-midnight on Wednesday and reached the spot within 15 minutes. We could stop the fire from spreading,” the F&ES official said.

“The fire originated at the godown of the mall on the second floor, where a lot of inflammable materials and clothes were stored,” he added.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in a statement, said fire personnel are attempting to control the spread of fire and prevent it from reaching the lower floors.

“Due to zero visibility and heavy smoke, the fire could not be controlled effectively in the initial stage. The building premises and surrounding areas have been secured. Evacuation protocols were initiated for safety,” it added.

ASDMA said that preliminary observation suggests significant damage to the affected floors, but a detailed assessment will be done once the fire is fully controlled.

The cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage, it added.

An ASDMA official said that the fire has been controlled, but it is not yet fully doused due to many inflammable materials in the building.

“There are no flames now but smoke is billowing. We are working on dousing the blaze completely,” he said.