Railway bridge site crash kills 18 in Mizoram

At least 18 people were killed and three were injured on Wednesday when a section of an under-construction railway bridge collapsed in Mizoram's Sairang town, 21km from the state capital Aizawl. Mizoram government officials present at the scene said five others were missing.

- Ezrela Dalidia Fanai

The accident took place on Bridge 196 over Kurung river between Bairabi and Sairang railway station at 9.45am, according to a statement from the Mizoram information department. Video footage posted by Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga on X (formerly Twitter) showed a metal frame, known in technical terms as a gantry girder, that toppled off towering columns into a wooded valley below.

"Under construction railway over bridge at Sairang, near Aizawl collapsed... Deeply saddened and affected by this tragedy. I extend my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured," Zoramthanga said.

Officials from the contracting firm, ABCI Infrastructures Ltd, which is responsible for assembling and erecting the gantry girders and officials from the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said twenty-six people were working on the bridge when it collapsed. The Indian Railways has constituted a high-level committee to investigate the accident and identify its cause.

"High level inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate into the matter," Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) posted on X.