LUCKNOW — Seven workers were killed after water and debris rushed into an under-construction tunnel at a hydropower project in India's northern state of Uttarakhand, officials said, with rescue teams searching for workers still unaccounted for.
The incident occurred late Thursday at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project in Chamoli district, when a sudden surge of water and debris entered the tunnel, according to Chamoli district official Gaurav Kumar.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said 22 workers had been inside the tunnel when the incident occurred. Twelve had been rescued alive while three remained missing, he said, according to the latest account cited by The Associated Press.
Other reports citing an official list gave a different tally, saying 14 workers had been rescued and one remained missing after seven deaths. The discrepancy could not immediately be independently reconciled.
Rescue operations were being conducted by the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and local fire services. Rising water levels and unstable conditions inside the tunnel have complicated efforts to reach those still missing, officials said.
Amrit Lal Meena, commander of the National Disaster Response Force team at the site, said rescuers found substantial amounts of water inside the tunnel when they arrived and that water was also seeping through its sides. The water level subsequently increased, he said.
The project is being developed by state-owned THDC India Ltd. in Chamoli district. THDC describes the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti project as a 444-megawatt run-of-river hydropower scheme on the Alaknanda River, involving extensive tunnel construction.
The accident comes amid continuing concerns over construction risks in India's Himalayan region, where steep terrain, unstable geological conditions and seismic activity can complicate major infrastructure projects. In November 2023, 41 workers were trapped for 17 days after part of an under-construction road tunnel collapsed elsewhere in Uttarakhand before all were rescued.
Search and rescue operations were continuing on Friday as emergency teams worked to locate the remaining missing workers and recover those killed.
