‘Miracle is the appropriate word’: Truck with 22 people fell off a cliff. One man survived

On Thursday, the wreckage was found about 250 metres down. Recovery could begin only Friday after specialist teams from the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Army arrived. With early sunset in this far eastern region, operations ended at 4 pm with six bodies retrieved.

“The mountainside by the road is at an almost 90-degree gradient… making the recovery of bodies difficult. There are 14 columns of the Army there and on Friday some specialist troops who specialise in mountaineering were inducted,” an Army spokesperson said.

Anjaw SP Anurag Dwivedi said bodies were retrieved from 200–250 metres but not all have been found. “Seventeen bodies have been visible to us… When the bodies that can be seen are lifted, the next step will be to examine the wreckage,” he said.

Authorities are not yet clear how Deep survived and climbed out. “He was not in a very stable condition… so we have not asked him about this in much detail,” said Dwivedi.

At the Assam Medical College & Hospital, Dr. Bhuyan said Deep had fractured hips and injuries to his lungs and brain but was stable. “With these injuries, he climbed up a steep mountainside… It is quite miraculous,” he said, adding Deep told them only: “bogai bogai ulalu (I climbed my way out)”.

Deep, like most on the truck, lived in the labour lines of Tinsukia’s Gelapukhuri Tea Estate. Tinsukia MLA Sanjoy Kishan said all except the driver and one worker were from the estate. Roshni Kumari, whose uncle Rahul Kumar is among the victims, said they did daily wage work and had left for dhalai kaam. “So far, we don’t have any news… We just heard that the bodies will be coming,” she said.

SP Dwivedi said the contractor was questioned but released.