Aizawl: The Ministry of Railways has constituted a four-member committee to probe the collapse of a railway bridge on the Bairabi-Sairang line project, officials announced on Friday.
The committee is expected to submit its report within one month from the date of formation, as stipulated by the order issued by the ministry on Thursday.
The Works-I branch of the Railway Board will serve as the nodal branch responsible for the committee’s functioning and report submission for consideration by the railway board. The implementation of the committee’s recommendations and all related matters, including Parliament questions, RTI cases, and other formalities pertaining to the committee, will be handled by the Works-I branch, according to the order.
An under-construction railway bridge in the Sairang area near Aizawl collapsed on Wednesday, resulting in the death of 22 workers and injuring 3 by Thursday.
According to the police, at least 23 workers are believed to have been killed in the incident. They reported that four more bodies were recovered from the debris on Thursday, raising the death toll to 22. The search for the last missing person is ongoing, they added.
All the victims were from the Malda district in West Bengal, as confirmed by the police. At the time of the incident, which occurred at bridge number 196 in the Sairang area on Wednesday, 26 workers were present.
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The railway authorities stated that the incident was caused by the collapse of one steel girder of the under-construction bridge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased individual and Rs. 50,000 to the injured.
Also Read | Mizoram bridge collapse: 18 bodies identified, 23 people believed to be dead