Three labourers, including a 16-year-old boy, were electrocuted to death and three others were injured on Saturday afternoon, 20 September 2025, while shifting an electric pole at a highway construction site in Mizoram's Kolasib district, police said. The fatal incident occurred at Sethawn, near Kolasib, adjoining Assam, during work on the ongoing four-lane widening of National Highway-306 (NH-306).

What Happened at the Site

The six workers were engaged by a sub-contractor involved in replacing electric poles damaged during the widening of NH-306, a key surface link connecting Mizoram with Assam and the rest of the country. The project is being executed by the government-owned National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL).

According to police, an electric pole came into contact with a high-voltage power line while workers were attempting to shift or replace it. Officials indicated the workers had apparently switched off the wrong Gang Operated Air Break Switch (GOAB), even though a power shutdown had reportedly been sought from a control room before work began.

Victims and the Injured

Of the three workers who died, two were from Myanmar and one was from Manipur. The three surviving injured workers were taken for medical treatment immediately after the incident. The youngest fatality — the 16-year-old — underscores the vulnerability of migrant and underage labour at large infrastructure sites.

Safety Failures Under Scrutiny

Surviving workers told police they had switched off the power supply at three different points before commencing the operation, but were unable to explain how electricity subsequently reached the site. Authorities are now examining the sequence of events surrounding the power shutdown and the subsequent re-energisation of the line.

The incident raises serious questions about the safety protocols governing electrical infrastructure shifting in active highway-widening zones — particularly when sub-contracted labour, including migrant workers, is involved. This is not an isolated concern; construction fatalities at NHIDCL and NHAI sites have drawn periodic scrutiny from labour and safety regulators.

Investigation and Legal Status

Police confirmed that no formal complaint had been filed as of Sunday. However, a case of unnatural death has been registered and an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to the tragedy. Authorities are also probing the sub-contractor's compliance with mandatory electrical safety norms before the pole-shifting operation began.

With NH-306 central to Mizoram's connectivity, pressure is likely to mount on NHIDCL and state authorities to enforce stricter worksite safety standards before construction activity resumes at the affected stretch.