The rescue operation in Ramban was called off on Saturday with authorities recovering the bodies of all the ten labourers who were buried under the debris of a tunnel that collapsed earlier this week.
Officials said there were no survivors in the tragedy which took place when an under-construction tunnel in Ramban district collapsed while inclement weather delayed the rescue operation, “Bodies of all the ten labourers were retrieved to bring curtains on the massive rescue operation,” a senior police officer said.
Authorities had pushed a search team comprising J&K Police, Army, NDRF and SDRF who were combing through the debris of rocks since midnight of May 19. They said the operation was suspended on Friday night for around 12 hours due to relentless rains and fresh landslides.
Besides recovering the bodies of all the ten labourers trapped under the debris, rescuers had earlier rescued three labourers in injured condition and one of them has been admitted to GMC Jammu for advanced treatment.
“Operation to find missing persons at Khooni Nallah adit tunnel site began at 5.30 am early morning today. Bodies of all the labourers have been recovered,” ,” Deputy Commissioner Ramban Masrat-ul-Islam said.
The deceased have been identified as Sudhir Roy (31) son of Manik Chandra Roy, Jadav Roy (23), Gautam Roy(22), Dipak Roy (33), Parimal Roy (38), all from West Bengal, Shiva Chowhn (26) from Assam, Nawaraj Chowdhury (26) and Kushi Ram (25), both from Nepal, Muzaffar (38) and Israt (30), both locals.
The police officer said that a police team comprising at least 10-11 personnel had a narrow escape after landslide and shooting stones at the site following which the rescue suspension was suspended last night.
At around 10.15 pm on May 19, the officials said that the Adit tunnel of T3 caved-in, near Khooni Nallah Ramban, trapping more than a dozen labourers of Sarla Company working at the site.
The officer said that three persons were rescued within two and a half hours of the incident and were shifted to district hospital Ramban where from one of them was referred to GMC Jammu for advanced treatment.
The audit tunnel of T3 on the highway near Khooni Nallah in Jammu's Ramban district caved in at the start of the work around 10.15 pm on Thursday. The body of one worker was recovered on Friday itself while three bodies were recovered earlier today.