Eight of the 19 Assam construction workers, missing since July 5 from near the China border, have been rescued from a jungle in Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh.
District officials said all of them, found in a critical condition, are on intravenous medical treatment, and their health condition is being constantly monitored by a team of doctors.
Kurung Kumey Deputy Commissioner Nighee Bengia said an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper, which carried out a search operation for the missing workers on Saturday, could be used in evacuating the seven from a district healthcare facility to a hospital in Naharlagun near State capital Itanagar.
“They are currently in Huri (village) and in a serious condition. Their statements would be recorded once they recover,” he said.
The 19 workers, mostly Muslims, had fled their camp near the site of construction of a road being executed by the Border Roads Organisation. They slipped away at night because they were allegedly denied permission to go home and celebrate Bakr-Id.
They split into two groups of eight and 11 but lost their way after entering a dense forest infested with poisonous snakes and wild animals, officials said.
While the eight-member group was rescued from near Furak River, the search is on for the other group that took a different route through the jungle. Aided by locals and policemen, a 25-member team of the State Disaster Response Force is conducting the search operation.
