Four killed, eight injured in landslide in Arunachal Pradesh

At least four ITBP personnel were on Saturday crushed to death and eight other personnel injured, including two seriously, when a huge boulder hit their vehicle on the Basar-Akajan road in Lower Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, police said.

The incident occurred at around 2.30 pm when the ITBP personnel were on their way to Likabali from Basar in West Siang district, police said.

Lower Siang superintendent of police Singjatla Singpho said the vehicle had to slow down as the condition of the road was very bad, when it was hit by the boulder.

“The boulder rolled down the mountain slope and smashed the mini bus carrying 20 ITBP personnel. Four ITBP personnel died on the spot. So far, three bodies have been retrieved by a joint rescue team of the ITBP and the state police, who are being assisted by locals,” Singpho said.

The SP said eight other personnel were injured, including two seriously. The seriously injured have been shifted to the Army hospital at Likabali, while the personnel with minor wounds were treated at the local community health centre.

Singpho said rescue operation is difficult in the area due to stones rolling down from the mountain, adding the identity of the dead ITBP personnel was yet to be confirmed.

This is the second landslide-related incident in the Northeastern state within five days. The toll due to landslips this monsoon has risen to nine.

Five labourers were on June 24, buried alive when a retaining wall of an under-construction RCC building collapsed on a labour barrack at Donyi Colony in Itanagar.

(With inputs from PTI)