Uttarakhand: 7 killed as water, debris enter tunnel in Chamoli

In Uttarakhand, seven people died and 14 sustained injuries on Thursday after water and debris entered a tunnel under construction at a hydroelectric project site in Chamoli district, officials said. According to information, 21 workers were trapped inside the tunnel. Twenty people have been brought out of the tunnel. Of them, seven were declared dead, while 14 others have sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.

Chamoli, Uttarakhand: In a tunnel accident at an under-construction THDC tunnel in Mayapur, 22 people have been rescued so far. Seven people have died, while the remaining injured are undergoing treatment at District Hospital Gopeshwar. One seriously injured person has been… pic.twitter.com/TGooMpY7kI

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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. A large-scale multi-agency rescue operation was launched immediately. By 11 pm, 21 workers were evacuated from the tunnel.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered rescue and relief operations to be taken up on a war footing. Dhami said he is taking real-time updates from senior officers. "I spoke to the injured workers admitted to hospital; their condition is stable. I have also informed the chief ministers of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh that their residents, those injured or involved in the incident, are receiving treatment here. I have also spoken to the chief medical superintendent," the chief minister said. District magistrate Gaurav Kumar said that at 6.30 pm, a significant amount of debris and water surged into the tunnel where construction work has been going on.