2 Assam labourers killed in landslide in Mizoram

The labourers were engaged in the construction work of the bridge. Following the landslide, they were trapped under the debris and died on the spot. After post-mortem their bodies have been sent to their homes.

Tezpur: Two labourers were killed after a landslide hit a tunnel of an under-construction railway bridge over Kurung river connecting Bairabi and Sairang in Mizoram yesterday.

The labourers have been identified as Deepak Dutta (27) and Durga Prasad Pasi (53), both hailed from Assam's Nagaon district. They were trapped under the debris near Kawnpui railway station at tunnel no. 12A.

According to locals, heavy machinery including ground digging devices were used during the construction work resulting which, the soil's balance has been affected in this hilly area. The workers were engaged in dismantling the stones and shifting those when the landslide occurred. The two laborers, who were engrossed in their work did not get time to flee from the spot when rocks suddenly started sliding downwards and got trapped under the debris.

Following the landslide, the railway authorities and the local police rushed to the site. The police team rescued the workers from underneath the debris but both succumbed to their injuries on the spot.

The two bodies were sent to Kawnpui Hospital for post-mortem. After this, the bodies were sent to their respective homes in Assam. The railway authorities have not shared any information about the incident till now.

On August 23, the railway bridge over Kurung river connecting Bairabi and Sairang in Mizoram collapsed at around 10 am leaving 23 workers dead and more than 20 others seriously injured. Work was thus on to construct this bridge. The untimely death of two workers at the construction site has raised questions over the safety protocols that are in place here.