Nine young men from Assam, all members of the Dimasa tribe, tragically lost their lives in a devastating construction site accident in north Chennai on Tuesday night. They were engaged in work on the Ennore Special Economic Zone thermal power project in Thiruvallur district when the scaffolding supporting a large concrete arch collapsed, sending them nearly 30 feet to their deaths. The incident transpired while the workers were constructing an arch over 20 feet high. Eyewitnesses, including fellow worker Provit Thaosen, reported hearing a sudden loud noise—described as resembling a pipe bursting—before the entire structure fell apart. Provit’s elder brother, Sorbojit Thaosen, was among those trapped when the arch collapsed. “We still don’t understand how it happened.
Everything seemed normal until that moment,” he recalled, sharing the harrowing experience of that night. The victims were all migrant workers from remote villages in Assam, who had left their homes in search of better job opportunities. Many resided in cramped rented accommodations near the construction site, sharing space with fellow villagers. Their monthly earnings ranged from ₹19,000 for newcomers to ₹25,000 for more experienced workers—salaries that vastly exceeded what they could earn back home. Several pairs of brothers and cousins were among the deceased, underscoring the reliance of entire families from Assam on construction work in other states.
For many, Chennai was simply one stop in a continuous cycle of migration driven by the scarcity of work and low pay in Assam. “More than 80% of the men from our village work outside. If there was work at home, why would we risk our lives in other states?” said Phawlang, a cousin of one of the victims, who hurried to Chennai from another part of the city. At Chennai’s Stanley Government Hospital, grieving relatives gathered to claim the bodies on Wednesday morning. Families reminisced about the personal sacrifices made by the deceased: Sorbojit Thaosen had spent years working on various project sites, while another victim, Paban Sarang, left behind a wife and young daughter in Hojai district.
The six other men who perished were identified as Munna Kemprai, Phaibit Fanglu, Bidayum Porbosa, Suman Kharikap, Dimaraj Thousen, and Dipak Raijung. Their remains are expected to be returned to Assam by Thursday for their final rites. This tragedy has once again highlighted the hazardous working conditions faced by migrant laborers in India’s expanding construction sector. Despite their contributions to significant infrastructure projects, workers frequently endure poor living conditions, with minimal job security or safety guarantees. The families of the deceased are now confronted with an uncertain future, relying on scant compensations while grappling with the emotional aftermath of losing their primary earners.
For villages in Assam, this incident is not merely about lives lost in a distant city—it serves as a poignant reminder of the systemic lack of opportunities that compels thousands of young men to migrate in search of survival, often at considerable personal risk.