Five killed, three missing in two Arunachal incidents within 36 hours
At least five people were killed and three are reported missing in two separate incidents in Arunachal Pradesh — a landslide and a road accident — that occurred about 650 km apart within 36 hours, officials said on Saturday.
The first incident took place on Thursday morning when a light commercial pick-up truck carrying 10 people, including the driver, fell off the road into the Lohit River at Sarti on the Walong-Hawai Road in Anjaw district. The accident happened around 6 a.m., with the vehicle plunging about 300 feet below the road that runs along a cliff.
According to the District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO) of Anjaw, a search-and-rescue operation was launched after the incident was reported at around 10 a.m. The joint team comprised Anjaw police, the Indian Army, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local volunteers. Six people were rescued, while a woman was confirmed dead. Three others remain missing.
In a separate incident on Friday afternoon, four workers were buried under debris when a landslide struck the Keojaring-Byaching PMGSY road-cutting site near Nacho in Upper Subansiri district. The DDMO of Upper Subansiri identified the victims as Tadu Baki, Taji Rai, Markosh Basumatari, and Babul Ali. Officials said only Ali's body had been recovered before the search was suspended due to operational constraints by Friday evening.
A district officer said that fire and emergency services personnel and an SDRF team reached the site before noon on Saturday to continue operations.
District officials in Anjaw said a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has been requisitioned to assist in the search for the three missing people, as the SDRF has limited resources. The search operation is ongoing, and authorities are coordinating with multiple agencies.
