Arunachal: Four ITBP personnel killed in landslide

Four ITBP personnel were crushed to death when a huge boulder, loosened by monsoon rains, rolled down a mountain and hit their vehicle on the Basar-Akajan road in Lower Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, police said.

The incident occurred at around 2.30 pm about 5 km from Likabali, the district headquarters of Lower Siang, when they were on way to it from Basar in West Siang district, police said.

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, Lower Siang superintendent of police Singjatla Singpho said.

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

He said the vehicle had to slow down as the condition of the road is very bad and was hit by the boulder.

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.

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

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