Assam Minister Bimal Borah Visits Grieving Families After Arunachal Tragedy

Assam Guardian Minister for Tinsukia, Bimal Borah, visited the residences of the families who lost their loved ones in the devastating accident near Hayuliang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Speaking to the media, Minister Borah said the Assam Government is in continuous coordination with the Arunachal Pradesh administration to ensure rescue and recovery operations proceed without interruption. A team from the Tinsukia district administration has already moved towards the accident site to support ongoing efforts.

He added that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took serious note of the tragedy immediately after receiving the information and has been closely monitoring developments. With the extremely difficult terrain obstructing the Army’s retrieval efforts, the Assam Government sought support from the NDRF, which has now reached the spot and will begin full-scale operations on Thursday morning.

The Tinsukia district administration has arranged multiple ambulances to transport the recovered bodies once the retrieval is completed.

Minister Shares Grief on X

Minister Bimal Bora also took to his X handle to express deep sorrow over the tragedy. In his message, he wrote:

“I am deeply pained by the untimely loss of many individuals from Assam and Tinsukia in the horrific road accident that occurred at Hayuliang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Today, I visited the homes of the victims to convey condolences and share the grief of the bereaved families. I pray for eternal peace of the departed souls and extend heartfelt sympathy to their families and relatives. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.

MLA Sanjay Kishan and District Commissioner Swapneel Paul were present with me during the visit.”

ACCIDENT DETAILS: 22 WORKERS FEARED DEAD NEAR METENGLIANG

The minister’s statement comes amid the confirmation of a major tragedy on the remote Hayuliang–Chaglagam road, where a truck carrying 22 labourers plunged into a deep gorge near Metengliang. The exact date of the accident—either Sunday or Monday—remains unclear due to the remoteness of the location.

A lone survivor reached the Chipra GREF Camp late on December 10 and revealed that the vehicle had veered off a cliff near KM 40 on the night of December 8. The accident had not been reported earlier by any contractor or local authority because of the area’s difficult terrain and poor connectivity.

Victims Identified; Gelapukhuri Tea Estate in Mourning

The workers were travelling from the Gelapukhuri Tea Estate in Tinsukia, and 19 of them have been identified as:

Budheswar Deep, Rahul Kumar, Sameer Deep, John Kumar, Pankaj Manki, Ajay Manki, Bijay Kumar, Abhay Bhumij, Rohit Manki, Birendra Kumar, Agor Tanti, Dhiren Chetiya, Rajani Nag, Deep Gowala, Ramchabak Sonar, Sonatan Nag, Sanjay Kumar, Karan Kumar, and Jonash Munda.

The tragedy has brought immense sorrow to the tea estate community, where most of the deceased lived.

Indian Army Leads High-Risk Search and Rescue Operation

Following the survivor’s information, the Indian Army’s Spear Corps launched a large-scale Search and Rescue (SAR) operation on December 11. Multiple Army columns, medical teams, GREF personnel, the NDRF, local police, and senior civil officials joined the mission.

After nearly four hours of intense search efforts, the wreckage was located at 11:55 AM, around 200 metres below the road, concealed under dense forest. Nearly 18 bodies have been sighted, and retrieval is being carried out using belay ropes in extremely dangerous conditions.

Administration Mobilised; Retrieval Continues

The SP Anjaw, district medical teams, SDRF units, and the ADC Hayuliang are all at the location or en route. The ADC is also questioning the subcontractor linked to the Zila Parishad Member of Chaglagam to verify the exact number and identities of the labourers.

Recovered bodies are being sent for post-mortem examination, and families have been informed.

Terrain Slows Mission, But Efforts Intensify

With steep slopes, thick forest, and poor visibility, the rescue operation remains extremely challenging. However, the Indian Army, NDRF, local police, and district administrations of both states continue to exert all possible efforts to trace the remaining individuals and bring closure to the grieving families.

Also Read: ‘No One Knew Until He Arrived’: Lone Survivor Leads Army to Deadly Arunachal Gorge