Six people died and 14 others were injured on Thursday after water and debris entered an under-construction tunnel at a hydroelectric project site in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, officials said.
According to preliminary information shared by officials, 22 workers were trapped inside the tunnel at the time of the incident. Twenty workers have since been brought out.
Of those rescued, six were declared dead, while 14 others sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Information about the remaining two workers was not immediately available.
The accident occurred at the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) Limited’s project site in the Pipalkoti area. Construction work at the site is being carried out by Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), officials said.
Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan earlier told PTI that authorities received information about workers being trapped after water and debris entered the tunnel.
Police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other agencies rushed to the site following the incident.
A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Rudraprayag was also dispatched to Pipalkoti to assist with the rescue operation. Teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Army were deployed as well.
Efforts are continuing to evacuate the remaining workers. Police, the district administration, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other agencies are involved in the rescue operation.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government’s top priority was to ensure the safe evacuation of all workers trapped inside the tunnel.
After reaching the Disaster Operations Centre in Dehradun, Dhami stated he reviewed the progress of the rescue operation at the under-construction THDC tunnel in Mayapur (Pipalkoti) and issued necessary instructions to officials.
Dhami also spoke to the rescued workers over the phone to check on their condition and assured them of all possible assistance.
“Information has been received about debris and water entering the THDC tunnel located in Peepalkoti. Considering the seriousness of the incident, teams from @NDRFHQ and @uksdrf have been immediately dispatched to the site. Instructions have been issued to all relevant agencies, including the district administration, to carry out relief and rescue operations at a war footing,” Dhami said on X.
He added, “I myself am in constant contact with the officials and continuously gathering updates on the situation. Our topmost priority is to safely evacuate every person trapped inside the tunnel. I pray to God for the safe well-being of all.”
Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary of disaster management and rehabilitation, stated all relevant agencies had been instructed to coordinate closely and speed up relief and rescue efforts to safely bring out those trapped inside the tunnel.
“The priority is to safely evacuate all the people trapped inside the tunnel,” Suman said, adding that more resources and specialised teams would be deployed if needed to bolster the rescue operation, as per HT.