New Delhi: At least 17 workers were killed, and several others are feared trapped, after an under-construction railway bridge collapsed near the Sairang area of Mizoram on Wednesday around 11 am, about 21km from state capital Aizawl. There were 40 construction workers on the bridge at the time of the incident.
“Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the debris so far…many others are still missing,” a police officer said, according to PTI.
The Sairang branch of Young Mizo Association is currently carrying out 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 being constructed over the Kurung River and is located between Bairabi and Sairang railway stations. The height of the pier of the bridge is 104mts. Sairang railway station is set to be the last railhead before reaching Mizoram’s capital. Once completed, the project will connect Aizawl with the national railway network.
