A major landslide in the Ramban tunnel causes a deadly accident.
Highlights:
- Authorities confirmed 10 dead, 3 injured.
- Police conclude the rescue operation and begin an investigation
- Efforts to identify and compensate the families of the deceased are underway.
KASHMIR: A massive landslide in the Indian Himalayan region of Kashmir caused a tunnel to collapse on Thursday evening. The tunnel is a part of an extensive network of transportation infrastructure that is under construction. The site is located at an important transit point between Jammu and Srinagar, hoping to improve connectivity upon completion.
Rescue workers retrieved the 1st body on Friday.Emergency services recovered 9 more in the following days. 3 are survivors being treated for their injuries at a local hospital.
What happened?
The exact cause of the landslide is unknown. Large boulders and chunks of heavy soil crashed into the Ramban Tunnel. 13 individuals and several heavy machinery units found themselves buried under tons of debris. Authorities were notified of the incident at the construction site late Thursday evening.
Al Jazeera reported that the collapse took place in an ‘approach tunnel used for ventilation and moving supplies and equipment to the main, under-construction tunnel’
Accidental or Neglected?
As soon as the event took place, questions about safety standards at the site arose. According to locals, the spot on which the tunnel sits is a notoriously dangerous site. Reports suggest that accidents are commonplace on that stretch of road.
“As per reports, the debris was not cleared at the site and the construction work was started without scientific evaluation of the soil. The company and the administration are having vested interests and have not paid attention to this stretch. There must be a judicial probe,” said Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, the J&K president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
Police have filed an FIR against the construction company on basis of negligence. Sources add that the contracted company may be inexperience in hill terrain construction. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) promises a full investigation. The scope of the inquiry is likely to include the pre-existing safety concerns that led to heavy loss of life.
Authorities reported a second collapse in the tunnel. Deaths and injuries from that accident remains unknown. The collapse of the Ramban tunnel is one of many deadly natural disasters to hit North/North-East India in recent times.
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