The railway bridge they were constructing across a gorge in remote northeast India fell on Wednesday, killing at least 22 workers and injuring four more. The incident happened in Sairang, a town located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of Aizawl, the state capital of Mizoram, a remote region of the nation close to the Myanmar border.
Using video, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga demonstrated a metal frame that had fallen from tall columns and into a forested valley. He expressed his sadness and affectation at the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter. Zoramthanga, who goes by one name, continued by expressing his gratitude for the “large number of people who came out to assist with rescue operations.”
According to the Northeast Frontier Railway, 40 laborers had been employed at the location. 22 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage, according to an agency employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He noted that there were still four people missing. To look into the accident’s cause, a committee has been formed.
The office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that rescue activities were in progress and that people in need were receiving all available aid. According to his office, Modi expressed his “pain” over the incident and “condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.” According to the statement, the government would give the next of kin of those slain about $2,400.
Additionally, separate compensation for individuals killed or injured in the disaster was also announced by Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of railways. During India’s monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, building and construction collapses are frequent, with old and fragile buildings bowing under days of nonstop rain. A crane that was over an expressway that was being built collapsed last month, killing at least 20 employees in western India near the financial center of Mumbai. In Gujarat state, a pedestrian bridge collapsed last year, killing at least 137 people and sending hundreds of others plummeting into a river or clinging to the debris while yelling for help in the dark.
At least 26 people were murdered in 2016 when an overpass in Kolkata collapsed into a busy roadway. A bridge filled with festival attendees collapsed in 2011 near the hill town and well-known tourist attraction of Darjeeling, killing at least 32 people. And less than a week later, in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, a footbridge over a river collapsed, killing about 30 people.