Arunachal accident: Death toll rises to five

Our Correspondent

Itanagar, June 30: With another jawan succumbing to his injuries at Aditya Hospital in Assam's Dibrugarh district today, the death toll of Friday's tragic mishap in Lower Siang district of Arunahal Pradesh has risen to five. On Friday four ITBP personnel were crushed to death when a huge boulder hit their vehicle at Basar-Akajan road, five kilometers away from Likabali, the headquarters of Lower Siang district. The incident occurred at around 2.30 PM Friday afternoon when a big boulder which came rolling from the mountain slope due to loosening of soil following incessant rain in the past few days, smashed the mini bus of the ITBP with 20 personnel on board, which was on its way to Likabali from Basar in West Siang district. Four personnel died on the spot while 8 others, including two seriously were injured. The injured have been immediately shifted to Army Hospital at Likabali while the personnel with minor injuries were treated at Community Health Centre at Likabali.

Lower Siang SP Singjatla Singpho today informed that the two critically injured were evacuated to Dibrugarh last night where one died Saturday morning.

This is the second landslide related incident in the state within a span of five days.

Earlier on June 24, five people, all labourers, were buried alive when a retaining wall of a under-construction RCC building collapse over a labour barrack at Donyi Colony between Ganga-Jully Road here.