The workers were trapped after water and debris entered the tunnel. Seven people were declared dead after being rescued from an under-construction tunnel of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) at Pipalkoti in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and brought to the District Hospital in Gopeshwar, officials said on Friday.
Earlier reporting noted: Seven workers killed, 14 injured after landslide, water seepage in Chamoli tunnel Dehradun: Seven workers were killed and 14 others injured after a landslide and heavy water seepage triggered a partial collapse inside an under-construction THDC tunnel at Mayapur near Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday evening. Earlier reporting noted: The incident occurred around 7 pm inside a tunnel of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC)-owned Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project, where construction work was being carried out by HCC, according to officials. Earlier reporting noted: According to State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) officials, 22 workers were trapped inside the tunnel following the sudden landslide and water seepage.
NDRF team commander Amrit Lal Meena said a large volume of water had entered the tunnel by the time the rescue team reached the site, with water also seeping in from the sides. Rescue operations by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are underway to evacuate the remaining workers trapped in the tunnel. “After our team arrived and started the operation, there was a massive volume of water inside the tunnel. Our personnel, using specialised equipment, have recovered four bodies from the water so far.
The water level has risen significantly since then. The rescue operation is still underway and will continue until everyone is retrieved,” Meena told ANI on Thursday.
THDC Executive Director (Projects) Kumar Sharad said around 20 to 22 workers were inside the tunnel when the accident occurred. He said NDRF and SDRF teams had been deployed for the rescue operation and that 18 workers had been rescued and shifted to the district hospital for treatment.
Three to four of the rescued workers were in serious condition, he said.
