Dibrugarh/Tinsukia, Dec 12: The lone survivor of the Arunachal Pradesh road accident in which 18 people died, has been admitted to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh in a critical condition, officials said on Friday.
Budheswar Deep, 23, was initially brought to Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital, but the doctors referred him to Dibrugarh for further treatment, Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapnanil Paul told PTI.
AMCH Superintendent Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan said Deep’s health condition is critical.
”He has suffered severe head and chest injuries. At this point, we cannot say he is out of danger,” Bhuyan told PTI.
A team of doctors is attending to him.
Deep was also in a state of ”shock and trauma” due to internal injuries, he said.
He survived the accident and trekked with difficulty to the nearest Chipra GREF Camp, following which the police were alerted and rescue operations began.
At least 18 people from Assam’s Tinsukia district were killed and three others went missing, as the truck carrying them fell into a deep gorge in a remote terrain in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.
The accident took place on Hayuliang-Chaglagam Road in Anjaw district in the eastern part of the hill state on December 8 when the truck was carrying 22 labourers, Defence PRO Lt Col Mahender Rawat had said.
”We received the lone survivor on Thursday at 3 pm and after initial treatment, he was shifted to Dibrugarh,” Paul said.
He said a team of officials from Tinsukia reached the accident spot on Friday, and ”we are in touch with the Anjaw district administration”.
”The process of recovering the bodies has started since early morning on Friday. Some bodies have been spotted inside the vehicle, which is hanging in a precarious position,” Paul said.
The Deputy Commissioners of both Anjaw and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh have confirmed that 14 bodies have been recovered.
The district administration is prepared to receive the bodies and the necessary arrangements have been made, Paul added.
Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended over the Gelapukhuri Tea Estate, from where most of the deceased hailed.
On the morning of December 8, around 6 am, 19 workers began their journey from the Gelapukhuri Tea Estate to Anjaw district in Arunachal Pradesh for a hotel construction work, deceased Pankaj Manki’s family member said.
”For two days, families of all the workers were anxiously trying to call their loved ones, but those remained unanswered,” he said.
The brother of Rahul Kumar, another fatality of the accident, said they were waiting to receive his body to perform the last rites. (PTI)
