Arunachal calls off search for missing Assam labourers

Kurung Kumey district officials said there is no further hope for rescuing three of the 19 workers who went missing on July 5

GUWAHATI

The authorities of Arunachal Pradesh’s Kurung Kumey district have called off the search and rescue for the remaining three of the 19 labourers from Assam who went missing from near the border with China.

The labourers were working on a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project at Huri under Kurung Kumey’s Damin circle. They went missing after escaping from their camp on the night of July 5, apparently because their contractor did not allow them to go home for Eid.

“There is no further hope for rescue of the remaining three missing labourers as areas or spots were thoroughly scanned by the ground search and rescue teams comprising of the State Disaster Response Force, police and local villagers,” the district’s Deputy Commissioner, Bengia Nighee said.

“Inaccessibility of the locations, inclement weather throughout the month, steep cliffs with deep gorges, and the threat of venomous snakes also hampered the search and rescue,” he said.

Aerial search of the areas with Indian Air Force choppers had been called off earlier because of the fickle weather.

Of the 19 labourers, 10 were rescued alive while the bodies of five were found in a decomposed state and one had drowned in the Furak River.

The 10 rescued labourers were sent to Assam to their respective villages, officials said.