Arunachal Gorge Tragedy: 17 Bodies Recovered as Rescue Teams Battle Deadly Terrain

Anjaw/ Tinsukia: Hope and heartbreak continue to walk side by side in the steep gorges of Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district, where a vehicle carrying workers from Assam met with a devastating accident.

On December 8, 2025, a mini-truck ferrying 22 labourers from Assam’s Tinsukia district plunged nearly 200 metres into a deep gorge near Hailong, around 40 km from Hayuliang towards Chaglagam. Since then, rescue teams have been racing against time, weather and treacherous terrain in an operation marked by courage and sorrow.Joint teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army’s 9 Madras Regiment have been conducting round-the-clock rescue and retrieval operations, often risking their own lives. Despite extremely challenging conditions, 11 more bodies were retrieved on Saturday (December 13), taking the total number of recovered bodies to 17, officials confirmed.Anjaw Deputy Commissioner Milo Kojin said the operation has been particularly difficult due to the sheer depth of the gorge and unstable terrain. “The retrieval process is extremely challenging. Visibility drops quickly, forcing us to suspend operations in the evening,” he said.The rescue operation was halted around 4 pm on Saturday due to low visibility and is set to resume early Sunday morning. Officials said three more bodies are expected to be recovered, while one person is still missing, and search efforts will continue.Adding to the tragedy, the scale of the disaster only became clear on December 10, when one survivor miraculously climbed out of the gorge and reached a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, alerting authorities.Meanwhile, six bodies recovered on Friday (December 12) were handed over to grieving families on Saturday, scenes marked by silent tears and unimaginable loss.Minister Rupesh Gowala visited Arunachal Pradesh to take stock of the rescue operation, while a team from Tinsukia district police is also present at the site. The Army, local administration, and villagers have joined hands, offering support and assistance in the grim mission. As rescue teams prepare to descend once more into the gorge, the region remains enveloped in grief. Families wait anxiously for closure, clinging to prayers as the mountains echo with the weight of loss. “This is a tragedy that has shaken us all,” one official said quietly. “We can only hope the remaining bodies are recovered soon, so the families may begin to mourn in peace.”