Mizoram: Death toll reaches 10 in stone quarry accident
What's the story
Two more dead bodies were reportedly recovered from the debris on Tuesday night after a stone quarry caved in at Maudarh village of Hnahthial district in Mizoram on Monday, raising the death toll to 10. Two more laborers are still feared trapped under the debris. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and announced compensation for the deceased.
Twitter Post
WATCH: The fateful moment was caught on camera
#DramaticVisuals- moments when a dozen labourers from Bihar got trapped after a stone quarry collapsed in Mizoram today at Maudarh, Hnahthial district,a massive multi-agency rescue operation is on @ndtv Reports. pic.twitter.com/CwDR1VwBzk
— Ratnadip Choudhury (@RatnadipC) November 14, 2022
Cave-in
Most of the victims were migrant workers
The incident occurred around 2:40 pm when the laborers were working at the site, the district administration said. Twelve people were confirmed to be trapped after the cave-in at the village, which is around 160 kilometer from the state capital Aizawl. Of the 12 workers, five belonged to West Bengal, three hailed from Assam, and two each from Jharkhand and south Mizoram's Lunglei district.
Twitter Post
Rescue operation still underway
Hnahthial, Mizoram | Of the 12 workers trapped, 5 hail from West Bengal, 3 from Assam and 2 each from Jharkhand and Mizoram: DC R Lalremsanga pic.twitter.com/jTivzptyOp
— ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2022
Information
Bodies to be sent to respective villages by flight
The eight bodies recovered on Tuesday were taken to Aizawl Civil Hospital. Of these, seven bodies will be sent to their respective villages in Jharkhand and West Bengal, while the eighth recovered body will be sent to Silchar, Assam by road. Those still trapped are from Mizoram and Assam. ABCI Infrastructures, the construction company that employed the workers, arranged the transportation of the bodies.
Twitter Post
PM Modi condoles deaths, announces ex gratia
My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones due to the tragic stone quarry collapse in Mizoram. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh would be given from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 16, 2022
Details
Widening of NH-54 underway
ABCI Infrastructures is currently working on widening a section of National Highway 54 between Hnahthial town, 23 km from Maudarh village, and Dawn village. Ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh will be given to the next of kin of each deceased from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), while the injured will receive Rs. 50,000 each.