Now Reading: Seven killed in tunnel accident at Uttarakhand hydropower project
-
01
Seven killed in tunnel accident at Uttarakhand hydropower project
At least seven workers were killed and 13 others injured after water and debris burst into a tunnel at a state-run hydropower project in Uttarakhand late Thursday following a landslide, trapping construction…
At least seven workers were killed and 13 others injured after water and debris burst into a tunnel at a state-run hydropower project in Uttarakhand late Thursday following a landslide, trapping construction workers inside. Three workers remain missing, according to India's State Disaster Management Authority.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a 'war-like rescue operation' was underway to evacuate those still trapped. Videos showed rescue workers using makeshift rafts to reach flooded sections. Amrit Lal Meena, commander of the National Disaster Response Force, said the water level inside the tunnel had risen considerably since operations began.
Uttarakhand has been hit by heavy monsoon rains. Last month, 20 workers were killed in a similar tunnel accident at a hydropower project in Sikkim. In 2023, 41 workers were rescued after being trapped for 17 days in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is the second fatal tunnel accident at a state-run hydropower site in two months, following 20 deaths in Sikkim in August. Uttarakhand's fragile Himalayan geology, compounded by heavy monsoon rains, makes tunnel construction particularly risky. Ecologists have long warned that unregulated development in these zones increases landslide and flash-flood hazards. The state government now faces scrutiny over safety protocols and disaster preparedness at infrastructure sites. The number of missing workers remains three, and the rescue operation is ongoing.
Watch for: whether the National Disaster Management Authority orders a safety audit of all active hydropower tunnels in the region.
Source: aljazeera.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
