Two construction labourers lost their lives while three others were rescued after a mudslide trapped six workers at Lohitpur in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tezu on Wednesday.
According to the District Disaster Management Office (DDMO), the incident occurred at a construction site in Lohitpur, where six labourers were caught under debris following the mudslide. One worker managed to escape on his own immediately after the incident.
A joint rescue operation involving the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Indian Army, Arunachal Pradesh Police and other emergency response agencies was launched soon after the incident. District Disaster Management Officer, Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Circle Officer and other senior officials remained at the site to supervise and coordinate the rescue efforts.
The remaining five trapped labourers were successfully pulled out during the operation. However, two of them later succumbed to their injuries despite being rushed to Tezu Zonal General Hospital in Army ambulances for emergency treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Rahul Kumar (26), a resident of Sihkund in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, and Bipin Kumar (33), a resident of Navgachia in Bhagalpur district. Both had been working as construction labourers in Lohitpur.
Rahul Kumar was rescued at around 2 pm and was declared dead at 4.30 pm, while Bipin Kumar was rescued at about 3.20 pm and was pronounced dead at around 5 pm.
The bodies have been kept at the mortuary of Tezu Zonal General Hospital. Police have registered two cases of unnatural death (UD) and initiated further investigation.
Officials said the rescue operation was conducted successfully despite difficult conditions, with SDRF personnel working in close coordination with the Army, Police and other responding agencies.
