Mizoram: Under-construction bridge collapses near Aizawl, 17 die
Aizawl: At least 17 people are feared dead and several others injured after an under-construction bridge over the Kurung River, connecting Bairabi and Sairang, collapsed in Mizoram's Sairang area on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 10 am when the workers were at the construction site, trying to fix segments of the bridge, East Mojo reported quoting police statement.
Police believe 35-40 workers are currently trapped under rubble.
Officials said 17 bodies have been recovered so far and the death toll might increase.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the loss of live in the incident.
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.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 23, 2023
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the…
"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," PMO India wrote on X.
Under construction railway over bridge at Sairang, near Aizawl collapsed today; atleast 17 workers died: Rescue under progress.
— Zoramthanga (@ZoramthangaCM) August 23, 2023
Deeply saddened and affected by this tragedy. I extend my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and wishing a speedy recovery to the… pic.twitter.com/IbmjtHSPT7
"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 tweet said.
In a tweet, the West Bengal Chief Minister said some of the deceased were from Malda district in her state.
"I have instructed my chief secretary to coordinate with the Mizoram administration at once for rescue and assistance operations. The Malda district administration has been asked to reach out to the bereaved families to extend all possible help," she said.
Shocked to learn about the tragic collapse today of an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram, leading to loss of lives of several site workers, including some belonging to our Malda district. Have instructed my chief secretary to coordinate with Mizoram administration at…
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 23, 2023
Banerjee promised due compensation to the next of kin of the affected families.
"Solidarity to the distressed, condolences to the families of the deceased. Situation under watch," Banerjee added.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.