Srinagar May 21 (KNS): Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday expressed a deep sense of sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in the incident of tunnel collapse at Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Makerkote in Ramsu near Khooni Nallah.

He extended his sympathies to the bereaved families of the dead labourers.

He said, “It is heart-wrenching to know that the bodies of nine labourers have been recovered from the debris of the damaged tunnel so far, while one labrourer is still missing even after two days of the incident, and thus feared dead.”

Terming the incident extremely unfortunate, Bukhari said, “Two of the deceased are local, while others belong to the places like West Bengal, Assam, and Nepal. All of them had come a long way to work to feed families back.”

JKAP president strongly urged the government to ensure the bereaved families are fully commentated.

He said, “Although, no amount of money can compensate for a human life, however, one has to realize that the bereaved families lost their breadwinners. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the government and the concerned construction agency to ensure the victim families are provided with sufficient financial assistance.”

Bukhari has also demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. He said, “It is of utmost importance that we know the real cause of this terrific incident. If the concerned construction agency is found guilty of any negligence, it should face the law of the land.”

He added, “Since we have several other tunnel construction under execution on the same National Highway, all the precautionary measures should be taken to ensure that no such tragedy unfolds in the future. (KNS)