Tinsukia, Dec 13 (PTI) The bodies of six labourers from Assam, killed in the road accident in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, were handed over to their families on Saturday.
Ambulances carrying the mortal
remains of the deceased reached Gelapukhuri Tea Estate area, from where they hailed.
"These six bodies were recovered yesterday, and after the post-mortem examination, the mortal remains have been brought home today. As far as our information, seven more bodies have been retrieved today, and those will also be brought here following the same protocol," state minister Bimal Borah, who accompanied the bodies after overseeing the recovery operations in Anjaw, said.
A mini-truck, on which 22 labourers from Assam's Tezpur were travelling, fell into a deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's remote Anjaw district on the evening of December 8.
On the evening of December 10, one survivor managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, following which the authorities were alerted.
Borah said the remoteness of the location, tough terrain and extreme cold are impeding the recovery of the bodies.
"A total of 18 bodies have been spotted so far. But there could be more bodies inside or trapped under the truck. It could take some more days to find all the bodies," he said.
The victims whose bodies have been handed over to their families are Abhay Bhumij, Sanjay Karmakar, Junas Munda, Agor Tanti, Rajani Nag and Rahul Kumar.
The last rites are likely to be performed at a mass cremation site being prepared by the district administration.
The lone survivor of the accident, Budheswar Deep (23), is currently undergoing treatment at the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh. PTI SSG SSG SOM
