The collapse of a steel structure of an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram leading to the death of several workers from the Malda district of Bengal on Wednesday prompted a call for the safety audit of the 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project which is nearing completion.

The call was made by the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), the most influential civil society organisation in Mizoram.

It represents the Mizo people and has 805 branches covering Mizoram and also in parts of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.

CYMA general secretary Prof. Lalnuntluanga told The Telegraph on Thursday that the organisation had asked the Mizoram government and railway authorities to carry out the safety audit of the Bairabi-Sairang railway project in the wake of Wednesday’s accident and provide adequate compensation to the families of the deceased and the injured.

Lalnuntluanga, who was at the affected site as part of the organisation’s search and rescue volunteer team, said since the project was nearing completion, “a safety check was needed”.

The safety audit is also required because of the weather, soil and terrain conditions. “Landslides are important issues in the hills of Mizoram,” he said.

Lalnuntluanga said safety measures at the affected under-construction bridge were reportedly in place but still the incident took place.

The death toll in the mishap caused by the collapse of a gantry (an overhead steel structure) that was being launched on the under-construction bridge over the Kurung river rose to 22 from 18 with the recovery of four more bodies on Thursday.

According to a government report, the ABCI, the company tasked with the construction of the bridge, has informed that there were 26 workers at the site.

“Search is on for one more person. All the 22 deceased are from Malda district while the three injured are from Calcutta. Two of the injured have been discharged while one is in hospital,” an official told The Telegraph on Thursday. The incident took place at 9.58 am on Wednesday.

Malda district magistrate said 21 from the district died in the accident.

Sairang will have a station that will put capital Aizawl, 18km away, on the railway map of the country.

The project was to be completed by December but the deadline will have to be pushed back because of the crash.