*Negligence case registered
Excelsior Correspondent
RAMBAN, May 21: Nine more dead bodies were recovered from the landslide outside the mouth of a tunnel in Khooni Nallah area on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway thereby taking the death toll to 10, officials said today.
The operation to rescue nine labourers feared trapped under the debris resumed early morning today after a fresh landslide yesterday evening had forced the authorities to suspend the process.
The body of one person was recovered on Friday, while three others, including two locals, were rescued and are stable.
Officials said that today, another body was pulled out after several hours of intense search. It took them over two hours to pull out the body from under the rocks. Eight more bodies were later pulled out.
With the bodies of all the missing workers recovered, the two-day rescue operation ended late this evening. Three persons who survived were taken to hospital by the rescuers shortly after the incident on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
Click here to watch video
Earlier, the officials had said that a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed soon after the work on the project started. But today, the Deputy Commissioner Ramban quoted the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to say that a landslide had hit the mouth of the adit tunnel to T4.
“As clarified by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), it is informed that there is no tunnel collapse near Khooni Nallah. A slide occurred on the mouth of adit tunnel to T4 on Thursday night under which a labourer component of construction company was working”, Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mussarat Islam said.
“Nine bodies were recovered from the scene of the landslide outside the mouth of adit tunnel during the day-long hectic search by the rescuers today”, the Deputy Commissioner said, adding that all the bodies have been sent to District Hospital Ramban for identification and other legal formalities.
He said an immediate ex gratia of Rs 25,000 from the Red Cross fund and Rs 25,000 from the company is being given to kin of two local labourers, who are believed to have died in the incident along with eight workers from West Bengal, Nepal and Assam.
“Following directions received from Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Rs 15 lakh compensation each shall be given by Construction Company to families of those who died. Lt Governor has also announced Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia from Relief Fund”, said the Deputy Commissioner Ramban.
As per officials, the adit tunnel was just three to four metres long as the work on the project started only a few days ago. Officials had confirmed that a labourer had died and three others were rescued. Nine labourers were trapped under the debris and their bodies were recovered today.
An operation to rescue them was soon launched but had to be suspended yesterday evening due to a fresh landslide and inclement weather.
Yesterday evening, over 15 rescuers, including the SHO Ramsu Police Station Inspector Nayeem-Ul-Haq, had a narrow escape during the fresh landslide, prompting the authorities to suspend the rescue operation. It could not be resumed until this morning due to shooting of stones from the hillock, heavy rains and strong winds, officials said.
With the improvement in the weather condition, the rescue operation by District Administration, police, SDRF and NDRF personnel resumed with the first light of the day with authorities pressing three earth movers and rock-breakers to reach out to the trapped workers, they said.
Additional personnel along with Magistrates were deployed to speed up the rescue operation, they added.
The deceased, whose bodies were recovered under the debris were identified as Jadav Roy (23), Gautam Roy (22), Dipak Roy (33) and Parimal Roy (38), all from West Bengal, Shiva Chouhan (26) from Assam, Nepali citizens Navaraj Chaudhary (26) and Kushi Ram Chaudhary (25), Mohammad Muzaffar and Mohammad Ishirat, both residents of Marog District Ramban, officials said.
All of them were employed by a company tasked with auditing the tunnel.
Meanwhile, a case under Sections 287 (Negligent conduct with respect to machinery), 304-A (Causing death by negligence), 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt by act of endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC has been registered at Police Station Ramsu and investigation started, officials said. However, they said that no one was arrested in connection with the case.
Mohammad Amin, one of the three survivors, said he jumped from a dumper after its front windscreen broke under the impact of the falling rocks.
“I had a miraculous escape. The dumper got completely damaged shortly after I jumped out of it”, Amin, who escaped with injuries in his back and was discharged from the hospital today said.
Amin was among three labourers who were rescued alive in the incident. Mohammad Khalil, a driver by profession, and his colleague from West Bengal were the other two survivors.
“I used to work as a machine operator and dropped nine workers along with gas cylinders before shifting to a dumper. It all happened within a few seconds”, Amin said.
Earlier, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh visited the incident site, while Lt Governor Manoj Sinha monitored the situation from a control room.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
