One labourer has died and 18 others have been missing in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kurung Kumey district near the Indo-China border, reported ANI.

All the 19 labourers were working for the Border Roads Organisation and had gone missing on July 5. Kurung Kumey Deputy Commissioner Bengia Nighee told ANI that the body of one of the labourers was found in a river under the Damin circle in the district on Monday.

“A police team and the circle officer of Damin have moved towards the site today [Tuesday] morning,” the deputy commissioner said. “The labourers were engaged in a road construction work at Huri area under Damin circle.”

Bengia said the labourers had sought leave for Eid from their contractor, reported The Arunachal Times. The labourers left when they were denied leave, he added.

The deputy commissioner said the labourers might have been lost in the jungle.

But residents claimed all the labourers have drowned in the Kumey river, reported Northeast Now. An audio clip shared on social media also stated that bodies of 16 of them were seen floating in the river, according to The Arunachal Times.

Bengia dismissed the audio clip as a hoax but a police official said that a rescue team will be sent to verify the claims about them drowning.