Around seven bodies have been retrieved which include that of four BRO men and three civilian labourers engaged by the organisation.
SRINAGR: May Day proved to be fatal for over 30 labourers when a major disaster struck the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workmen who were buried alive under the heavy landslide at remote Chatru village in Kashtiwar district of Jammu region.
Around seven bodies have been retrieved which include that of four BRO men and three civilian labourers engaged by the organisation. There are conflicting reports about the number of men who have gone missing.
Brigadier AK Butani, chief engineer of BRO, said the incident happened when the labourers were busy working on the Anatnang-Semthan-Kashtiwar road. “There were three vehicles parked on the roadside including two tippers and a civilian truck. Usually after the road cutting, the labourers collect the loose boulders so that these are used again. When they were busy collecting the stones, there was massive land slide which hit the road workers and the civilians,” said Brig Butani.
He said they have so far recovered seven bodies from the debris. “Four of them are BRO men and three are civilians. We expect four more BRO people to be buried inside,” said Brig Butani.
He ,however, said they have no count of the civilians trapped under the slide. Butani assured that proper compensation under labour laws and rules will be given to the deceased’s kin. “Whatever is required will be done. The kin of the deceased will be given compensation under labour laws and our rules,” said Brig Butani.
Lieutenant colonel SD Goswami, the defence spokesman at Jammu, said massive rescue operation was launched by the army, BRO, police and the civil administration. “Our army teams have reached to the spot to help in the rescue operations in the area,” said Lt Col Goswami.
Rescuers are now blasting the rocks to clear the debris and retrieve the bodies. “We do not expect any survivors. Such was the quantum of land slides that a patch of road has disappeared. We are now blasting the heavy rocks which have slid from the mountain,” said Riyaz Ahmad Zargar, additional deputy commissioner, Kashtiwar.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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