Of 26 workers present on the under-construction railway bridge that collapsed in Mizoram’s Aizawl district, 23 people are believed to be dead, though the police have recovered only 18 bodies, officials said on Thursday.

Three of those working there are in hospital and “undergoing treatment” while five are missing, they added.

All the 26 people working there were from Malda district of West Bengal.

The Railways said the accident that took place on Wednesday was due to the collapse of a gantry, which was being launched on the under-construction bridge over the Kurung river.

A high-level committee has been constituted to probe the incident involving the under-construction bridge, one of the 130 bridges in the Bhairavi-Sairang New Railway Line project.

All 18 bodies have been identified. They are Naba Chawdury, Mojammel Haque, Narim Rahman, Ranjit Sarkar, Kashim Sheikh, Samrul Haque, Jhallu Sarkar, Sakirul Sheikh, Masrekul Haque, Saidur Rahman, Rahim Sheikh, Suman Sarkar, Sariful Sheikh, Insarul Haque, Jayanta Sarkar, Md. Jahidul Sekh, Manirul Nadap and Sebul Mia.

“Five workers are still missing. But chances of their being alive are slim,” a police officer said.

The five missing workers are Mojaffar Ali, Sahin Aktar, Nurul Haque, Senaul and Asim Ali.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in Calcutta that arrangements have been made to bring their bodies to the state.

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