A tragic accident in Arunachal Pradesh has claimed the lives of at least 19 laborers from Assam, with the incident only coming to light two days after it occurred, when the lone survivor managed to alert authorities. The incident occurred on the night of December 8, 2025, when a truck carrying 22 workers plunged into a deep gorge along the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road near the Indo-China border in Anjaw district.
The laborers, who were from Assam's Tinsukia district, were engaged in a local construction project. The dumper truck they were traveling in veered off the mountainous road, falling approximately 1,000 feet into a gorge. The crash site was located about 12 km from Chaglagam, in a remote area at an altitude exceeding 10,000 feet.
The accident remained unreported until Wednesday morning when the survivor, Budheswor Deep, reached the Chipra General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) camp. Despite sustaining severe head and facial fractures, Deep managed to climb out of the wreckage and walk nearly 4 km to the BRO camp. From there, he contacted his relatives, who then alerted the authorities. Tinsukia Senior Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar stated that Deep's call was the first indication families had of the incident.
Upon receiving the information, the Indian Army launched a major search and rescue operation in the Chaglagam region. Multiple search columns, medical teams, GREF representatives, local police, and NDRF personnel were mobilized. The challenging terrain hampered rescue efforts. According to Defence PRO Lt Col Mahender Rawat, the truck was located approximately 200 meters below the road, in a re-entrant that was inaccessible and hidden by dense tree cover.
As of Thursday evening, 19 bodies had been retrieved. Nineteen of the victims have been identified and all belonged to Gelapukhuri Tea Estate in Assam's Tinsukia district. The deceased and missing laborers have been identified as Rahul Kumar, Samir Deep, Joon Kumar, Pankaj Manki, Ajay Manki, Bijay Kumar, Abhay Bhumij, Rohit Manki, Birendra Kumar, Agar Tanti, Dhiren Chetia, Rajani Naag, Deep Gowala, Ramchabak Sonar, Sonatan Naag, Sanjay Kumar, Karan Kumar, and Jonas Munda.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his condolences and confirmed that the state administration is coordinating with Arunachal Pradesh authorities to provide assistance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the families of the deceased, with 50 thousand rupees for the injured.
Anjaw Superintendent of Police (SP) Anurag Dwivedi noted that the survivor's statement was crucial in narrowing down the crash site, which facilitated the search and rescue operation. The injured survivor has been shifted to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh for advanced treatment.
The accident highlights the risks faced by laborers working in remote and challenging terrains. The remoteness of the location, combined with poor road conditions and limited connectivity, contributed to the delay in reporting the incident and hindered initial rescue efforts.
