Arunachal Pradesh: 21 construction workers from Assam feared dead as minitruck plunges into deep gorge

GUWAHATI, NEW DELHI: At least 21 people hailing from Assam’s Tinsukia district are feared dead in an accident in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district, officials said.

According to the police, 22 persons, including the driver, hailing from Tinsukia district of Assam, were travelling in a minitruck which was plunged into a deep gorge on the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condoled the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the injured.

Distressed by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.

An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each…

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 11, 2025

The PMO India handle in post on X said: “Distressed by the loss of lives due to a mishap in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM”.

Mayank Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police of Tinsukia district, said that as per the information received from the authority of Arunachal Pradesh, 21 people were feared dead and one person survived. “All persons are hailing from the Tinsukia district of Assam,” Mayank Kumar said.

The truck reportedly skidded off the hilly road and fell into a deep gorge. The accident occurred on December 8. According to the reports, the people were travelling to Hayuliang for construction-related work. According to the District Disaster Management Officer (in charge), one survivor has been retrieved so far and handed over to the Assam administration following medical treatment.

Nang Chingni Choupoo, DDMO (In-charge) for Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradesh, said, “The incident occurred in Chaglagam Circle in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, located at the India-China border. It happened on the night of December 8. We received the report on the night of December 10. Even the locals were not aware that an incident had occurred there. It is steep and narrow there. The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained. We have one survivor, as per whom the vehicle had 22 labourers. It was a minitruck which overturned”.

The Indian Army has launched a major Search and Rescue operation in the Chaglagam region of Arunachal Pradesh. The operations were initiated based on information received late on 10 December 2025 regarding a vehicle accident along the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road near KM 40.… pic.twitter.com/2a7q0Ns7e1

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025

“A search and rescue operation is under way there by the Army, ITBP and district administration. NDRF has been requisitioned. The rescue team has reached there, and the operation is ongoing. We are yet to retrieve the people on board. We think we will retrieve just the bodies. We have handed over the survivor to Assam after treatment,” the DDMO (in charge) added.

The Indian Army launched a large-scale search and rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh’s Chaglagam region after a truck carrying 22 workers from Tinsukia plunged off a cliff on December 8, 2025.

The accident occurred near KM 40 on the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road, and the sole survivor, who reached the Chipra GREF Camp, alerted authorities.

A team of 18 bodies has been spotted 200 meters below the road, and rescue efforts are underway to retrieve them. The Indian Army, along with the civil administration, police, and other agencies, is working tirelessly to locate the missing individuals and provide assistance.

“On December 11, Spear Corps mobilised multiple Search and Rescue columns, medical teams, GREF representatives, local police, NDRF personnel and the ADC Hayuliang. At 1155 hours, after four hours of intensive search and rope descent, the truck was spotted around 200 metres below the road near KM 40 in a re-entrant, inaccessible and not visible from helicopters or the road due to dense tree cover and thick foliage. Eighteen bodies have been sighted and are being retrieved using belay ropes”, read the Army PRO release.

The challenging terrain, with dense tree cover and thick foliage, is hindering rescue efforts. The accident underscores the risks workers face in remote areas and the bravery of the rescue teams involved. (ANI)