Now Reading: 7 killed, 3 trapped in Uttarakhand tunnel collapse
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7 killed, 3 trapped in Uttarakhand tunnel collapse
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the THDC tunnel at Mayapur in Chamoli on Friday after an aquifer burst sent debris and water into the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydro project tunnel. Seven…
The Story in Brief
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the THDC tunnel at Mayapur in Chamoli on Friday after an aquifer burst sent debris and water into the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydro project tunnel. Seven workers were confirmed dead and three remained trapped, 24 hours after the incident trapped 22 workers on shift.
Nineteen workers were rescued, with 12 injured admitted to Gopeshwar district hospital. The three missing workers are Lucas Topno, Chetan Poyam and Devnath. Rescue teams from NDRF, SDRF, Army and ITBP used pumps to drain chest-deep water over a 1.2 km flooded stretch, but continuous water inflow and risk of further collapse slowed progress.
The Indian Opinion
This is the ninth accident at a Himalayan hydropower project since June. Each time, officials cite 'unforeseen geological conditions' while experts point to inadequate hydrogeological assessments and lack of accountability. The 2013 Ravi Chopra committee recommendations for detailed studies remain unimplemented. Until independent post-disaster audits are made public and enforced, these disasters will keep repeating. Will the Chamoli collapse finally trigger such a review?
Sources (2): timesnownews.com, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
