Overview
- Budheswor Deep reached the Chipra GREF camp two days after the mishap and alerted authorities, setting off search operations.
- The Army’s Spear Corps located the wreck about 200 metres below the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road near KM 40 and is retrieving remains using rope systems.
- Officials say 18 bodies have been sighted with several recovered, while reported tolls vary from 14 confirmed dead to 21–22 feared, reflecting an evolving count.
- The victims were daily‑wage labourers from Assam’s Tinsukia district, with many identified from the Gillapukri/Gelapukhuri Tea Estate.
- Multiple agencies including NDRF and SDRF have been mobilised, authorities are verifying the passenger list with a subcontractor, and the PMO announced PMNRF ex‑gratia for the deceased and the injured.