A woman was killed on the spot and three others were injured when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit by a giant boulder on the Pasighat-Pangin road in the Gaaling area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district on April 4.
The tragedy struck when a massive boulder fell from the hillock and hit the vehicle. Shanti Gao, in her late 50s, and three others, were travelling in the vehicle. Shanti was killed on the spot while the other three had escaped with minor injuries, SI Mobia Rambo of Pangin police station said.
The incident occurred when they were on their way to Pangin, the headquarters of Siang district. Shanti hailed from Pangin.
Meanwhile, an official release said that the pre-monsoon showers triggered a massive landslide at Kebang in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on April 2 along chainage No. 53 km on the Pasighat-Pangin road, NH-13, snapping road connectivity.
The district administration along with the highway authorities engaged machinery and human resources to clear the blockade. Continuous downpours over the last few days have triggered landslides and rockslides in several other parts of the said road stretch.
The office of the additional deputy commissioner, Pangin has issued a travel advisory, urging people to avoid early morning and late-night travel during the rainy season, considering the recent surge in landslides in the area.
The district administration (DA) also issued directives to the highway officials to deploy machinery at landslide-prone sites given the continuous downpour. The DA advised the commuters and residents to be cautious as the area is still witnessing rocks falling actively.
