After 15 days, two bodies were recovered on Monday trapped in the pipeline burst at the Kopili hydropower plant. One of the employees has been formally identified by NEEPCO officials as Robert Baite.
The high-speed water pipeline burst at the Kopili hydropower plant in Assam's Dima Hasao district not only led to massive flooding at the power station but three employees of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) present at the site, along with a casual worker have also been missing since.
The three missing employees of the public sector unit have been identified as Prem Lal Balmiki, Robert Baite and Joy Singh Timung. The name of the casual worker is not yet known.
The flooding also caused an abrupt stop to the plant's functioning, while triggering panic in neighbouring areas.
According to news reports, top NEEPCO officials said rescue operations have been underway since October 7 to locate the missing persons, who are believed to have been inside the power station at the time of the disaster. The operation is being conducted by a joint team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), but has not met with any success yet. Officials said loose earth that filled up the basement of the two-storey power station has come in the way of the rescue operation.
