The agonizing death of a truck driver hours after an accident at NH-8 in Tripura exposed utter failure of the State Disaster Management. Netizens raised questions about preparedness of the disaster management in handling crisis.
Teliamura, Aug 5: A devastating accident involving a lorry on National Highway-8 near Chakmaghat under Teliamura Police Station late Monday night resulted in the death of the vehicle’s driver, sparking widespread anger over the delayed rescue response.
The agonizing death of the driver exposed utter failure of the State Disaster Management. Netizens raised questions about preparedness of the disaster management in handling crisis.
Raising concern on the efficacy of the Disaster Management system, one of the netizens wrote in a social media post, “After an accident, a living human body trapped in a vehicle couldn’t be rescued even after five hours of effort? And yet, you conduct mock drills for earthquakes!!”
The incident occurred around 2:30 AM when a cement-laden truck en route from Dharmanagar to Agartala veered out of control and crashed. The vehicle’s front section was mangled in the impact, trapping the driver, Mihir Lal Debnath — a resident of Kanchanpur and son of Makhan Lal Debnath — beneath the wreckage.
Debnath, who was also the truck owner, remained pinned inside the damaged vehicle for over eight agonizing hours. Despite his persistent cries for help, no effective rescue operation was launched in time to save him.
Eyewitnesses reported that while some disaster response personnel arrived at the site with iron-cutting tools, the equipment was either inadequate or malfunctioning. A Disaster Management official reportedly reached the spot nearly seven hours after the crash — a delay that proved fatal.
It was only around 9:40 AM that Mihir Lal’s lifeless body was extricated and transported to Teliamura Sub-Divisional Hospital. By then, the tragic delay had already stirred public outrage. Locals, visibly distressed, gathered at the scene and strongly criticized the administration’s inaction, accusing authorities of negligence and lack of preparedness.
The accident has laid bare the shortcomings in the region’s emergency response infrastructure. Despite repeated assurances of disaster preparedness and training, the reality — as this incident highlighted — is one of delayed action and inefficiency.
“This isn’t just the loss of one life; it’s a damning indictment of our emergency response systems,” said one agitated protester. “In a state that talks of progress, such delays are shameful and call for accountability at the highest levels.”
Amidst the failure of administrative machinery, personnel from the 12th Battalion of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) were noted for stepping in and assisting with the limited resources at their disposal. Their role in supporting the rescue has been one of the few commendable aspects of an otherwise grim incident.
This tragic event has reignited calls for urgent reforms in the disaster management apparatus and underlined the pressing need for rapid-response systems that are functional and effective when it matters most.
Frustration and anger among the people is obvious. How these disaster management people will help us if there is natural calamity with many people are in danger, asked one of eye witnesses of the grueling death of Mihir Lal.
