Mizoram: Death toll reaches 10 in stone quarry accident
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.
WATCH: The fateful moment was caught on camera
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.
Rescue operation still underway
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.
PM Modi condoles deaths, announces ex gratia
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.
