At least 17 employees were murdered, and several others are believed to be trapped, after an under-construction railway bridge fell near Sairang, Mizoram, about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, around 21 kilometers from the state capital Aizawl.
At the time of the tragedy, there were 40 construction workers on the bridge. “Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the debris so far…many others are still missing,” a police officer said, according to reports.
Young Mizo Association’s Sairang branch is now conducting rescue operations. “The bridge that collapsed was part of an Indian Railways project to connect all state capitals in the northeast region. It has been under construction for some years now. The incident happened around 11am.
“We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the accident and how many people actually were on it when it occurred,” Sabyasachi De, chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), said.
The bridge was built over the Kurung River, between the Bairabi and Sairang railway stations. The height of the bridge’s pier is 104 meters. The Sairang railway station will be the final railhead before reaching Mizoram’s capital. When finished, the project will link Aizawl to the national railway network.
Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga expressed grief over the incident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and said, “Under construction railway over bridge at Sairang, near Aizawl collapsed today; atleast 15 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.”