Eleven more bodies were retrieved on Saturday from a deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh, where a mini-truck carrying 22 labourers from Assam fell on Monday night.

The Anjaw district disaster management authority (DDMA) said 17 bodies had been pulled out of the gorge since the launch of the risky search operation on Thursday.

The lone survivor of the accident, Budheswar Deep, 23, is currently undergoing treatment at the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh.

The operation was suspended around 4pm due to low visibility and will be resumed on Sunday morning, Anjaw’s deputy commissioner Milo Kojin said.

Six bodies, which were retrieved on Friday, were handed over to their families on Saturday. Ambulances carrying the mortal remains of the deceased reached Gelapukhuri Tea Estate area, from where they hailed.

Videos shared by the DDMA showed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and army personnel pulling up the bodies with ropes tied to stretchers. Personnel trained in mountain rescue and mountaineering equipment have been deployed, an official said.

The Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), volunteers and the local community are also part of the operation.

“It has been another day of gruelling and risky operation to pull up the bodies, given the steep slopes. Altogether 11 bodies were brought up today. Three more bodies have been packed and will be brought up tomorrow. One person is still missing. A combing operation will be carried out tomorrow for the missing person,” a DDMA official said.

The search and rescue teams had located the vehicle and 17 victims on Thursday, but could not bring them up as the bodies were at a depth of 200 metres, which necessitated a specialised rescue operation by trained experts/mountaineers. By Friday evening, six bodies had been recovered and handed over to civil police in the presence of officials from Anjaw and Tinsukia.

The Anjaw district administration is coordinating with the Tinsukia district administration for the identification of the deceased and facilitation of logistical arrangements.

“Joint teams from DDMAs in Anjaw and Tinsukia remained present at the incident site and base, ensuring seamless information flow, timely sharing of missing and identified persons’ details, and dignified handling of mortal remains,” the DDMA official said.

He said the district administration had also ensured round-the-clock monitoring of operations, timely movement and safety of field teams and provision of medical support, communication and transport facilities.

The accident happened on the evening of December 8, around 40km from Hayuliang towards Chaglagam in Anjaw district. On the evening of December 10, Budheswar managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a nearby BRTF labour camp, following which the authorities were alerted.