Will give due compensation to next of kin of affected families, says CM

Many labourers from Bengal, including Malda, were killed after an under-construction Railway bridge collapsed in Mizoram on Wednesday.

Expressing shock over the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a social media post on X, said: “Shocked to learn about the tragic collapse today of an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram, leading to loss of lives of several site workers, including some belonging to our Malda district. Have instructed my chief secretary to coordinate with Mizoram administration at once for rescue/ assistance operations. Malda district administration has been asked to reach out to the bereaved families for extending all possible help. We shall give due compensation ASAP to the next of kin of the affected families. Solidarity to the distressed, condolences to the families of the deceased. Situation under watch.”

Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee expressed his anguish over the incident. “Deeply saddened by the tragic bridge collapse in Mizoram! Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, especially the site workers from Malda. We stand in solidarity with the distressed and GoWB is actively coordinating with the Mizoram government for rescue operations,” he said on social platform X.

The administration fears that bodies of many workers may still be buried under the bridge. As a result, many workers are still missing. The houses of the dead and missing workers have been located in different areas of the Malda district.

News of the collapse reached the villages of Malda around noon on Wednesday. The Malda district administration tried to contact the families of the deceased and other migrant workers from the district at present working in Mizoram, throughout the day.

Nitin Singhania, District Magistrate Malda, said: “The death toll cannot be confirmed right now. It is not possible to say anything about how many workers have been injured in the accident. However, we are in contact with the district administration of that area where the incident took place in Mizoram. Efforts are being made to collect detailed information from them. Arrangements are being made to bring back the bodies. The ex-gratia will be disbursed as soon as possible. The administration will provide all possible assistance as directed by the Chief Minister.”

According to local sources, there were around 50 workers at the construction site at the time of the accident. Most of the workers were from Malda. They had gone to Mizoram for work almost a month back.

Emadul Sheikh, a relative of deceased labourer Sarikul Sheikh (27), a resident of Katlamari area under Pukhuria police station, said: “A month ago my brother had gone to work in Mizoram. This morning, we received news on the mobile phone that he and many others died in the accident. After the accident, pictures of the bodies of the dead were taken on mobile phones and sent from Mizoram. We want support from both the state and Union governments.”

Similarly, at least 30 labourers had gone to work in Mizoram from the Pukhuria Police Station area. Besides, many labourers have gone to work from Narhatta and Binodpur GP of English Bazar block, claimed Sheikh.

At the time of filing of this report, it was learnt that 16 of the deceased belong to Pukhuria Gram Panchayat in Ratua-II, five from English Bazar and one each from Gazole and Kaliachak-II. Besides, several workers have also been reported missing.