Four labourers were injured after a landslide struck their camp at the D&L Stone Crusher Plant near the Keyi Panyor Welcome Gate in Arunachal Pradesh’s Keyi Panyor district, prompting authorities to deploy medical personnel and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the remote location.
According to an official report, the incident occurred at around 4:30 pm on June 25 while the workers were asleep inside their camps. Some of the labourers were partially buried under debris and were rescued by fellow workers before emergency teams reached the site.
Preliminary reports indicate that the injured workers sustained multiple fractures and head injuries. One of the victims is reported to be in critical condition after complaining of severe chest pain.
Rescue operations have been complicated by the lack of mobile network connectivity in the area, making communication and assessment of the situation difficult. Officials said updates from the site were received only intermittently through people travelling to locations with network coverage.
Authorities assessed that deploying rescue teams from the Keyi Panyor side was impractical, as the nearest motorable point is nearly 12 kilometres from the incident site, requiring responders to trek through landslide-hit terrain.
Instead, rescue teams were dispatched through the Hoj route in Papum Pare district, from where the trekking distance to the site is around five kilometres.
Following a request from the Keyi Panyor district administration, the Papum Pare district administration deputed a medical team comprising Senior Medical Officer Dr Kajing Borang and Nursing Assistant Tok Apa to provide emergency treatment at the site.
As the condition of one of the injured workers deteriorated, the 12th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was also mobilised to provide medical support and assist in evacuation if required. The NDRF team, led by Commandant (Medical) Dr Atul, comprises 11 personnel, including one Assistant Sub-Inspector, one Head Constable, eight Constables and three drivers. An ambulance has also been deployed as part of the rescue operation.
Both the district medical team and the NDRF personnel departed from Itanagar and were scheduled to assemble at Hoj before trekking to the affected site on the morning of June 26, accompanied by a local guide.
Meanwhile, local resident Lichi Baka said incessant rainfall since June 24 has caused widespread destruction across the Potin area.
“It started raining heavily on June 24, almost like water being poured from the sky. We experienced similar rainfall in 2009, but this time the situation is much worse,” Baka said.
He said the Potin tri-junction has been severely affected, with roads leading towards Hoj and Potin extensively damaged, making movement difficult even for pedestrians. The road towards Kimin has also been hit by multiple landslides.
According to Baka, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has deployed several machines and worked until midnight to clear the affected stretches. The district administration, local residents and volunteers are jointly carrying out relief and restoration work, with authorities hopeful of restoring single-lane vehicular connectivity by Friday evening or Saturday.
He also claimed that the NIPCO project site has suffered extensive damage in the disaster and that reports indicate between three and six people are still missing.
Four Labourers Injured as Landslide Hits Arunachal Stone Crusher Camp, NDRF Joins Rescue
