Itanagar
By Manoj Singh
In a tragic incident this morning, five labourers were buried alive following the collapse of a retaining wall of an under-construction RCC building in Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh .
The incident happened at around 6:30 am. All the bodies have been recovered and have been identified as Pappu Katiya (20), Pappu Garel (21), Kanha Kenwar (40), Babloo Telenga (19), and Jiten Telenga (19). All the victims were from Bishwanath Charali, Assam.
The victims were reportedly from Biswanath Charali, Assam, and were staying in a labour camp near the retaining wall. Residents informed that four people were actually staying in the camp but a fifth person had also stayed at the camp last night.
Personnel of NDRF E-Company and Itanagar Fire and Emergency Services were engaged to unearth the victims. Itanagar capital complex deputy commissioner Prince Dhawan, DIG Tusar Taba, Disaster Management secretary Bidol Tayeng, and other officials visited the incident site to gather first-hand information on the incident.
DC Dhawan said that the district administration will assist the families of the victims in every way possible and that ex-gratia as per the norms will also be released at the earliest.
Dhawan has appealed to the people to take extreme precaution during monsoon and to shift to other safer locations if needed. He informed that they are also asking the residents nearby the incident site to move to a safer location as the NDRF team has informed that the soil is still loose.
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The DC has also appealed to the people to stop illegal earth cutting which is causing a threat to lives and properties. He added that the district administration is working to stop illegal cuttings but the public should also come forward to support it.
Later, local MLA Techi Kaso also visited the incident site and the R K Mission hospital where he met the relatives of the victims. Kaso while terming the incident unfortunate informed that he will arrange the vehicles to take the bodies to their native place.
