Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: 6 dead, 14 injured after water and debris trap workers in Chamoli — updates

A rescue operation is ongoing in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district after water and debris trapped six workers in a tunnel at a hydroelectric site. Although 16 workers have been saved, efforts continue. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emphasises prioritising safe evacuations.

A multi-agency rescue operation is underway in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district after a landslide caused water and debris to enter a tunnel on Thursday, leaving at least six workers trapped, officials said, according to Hindustan Times.

The incident occurred around 7 pm at Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) Limited’s project site in the Pipalkoti area, reported PTI, further citing officials who said that the tunnel is under-construction at a hydroelectric project site.

So far, 16 workers have been safely rescued, according to information released by the state government.

There were 22 workers inside the tunnel, noting that that the sudden influx of debris and water entered it around 1.5 km from its mouth, officials mentioned, as per a HT report.

Efforts are continuing to evacuate the remaining workers. Police, the district administration, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other agencies are involved in the rescue operation.

‘Topmost priority is to safely evacuate every person trapped’

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government’s top priority was to ensure the safe evacuation of all workers trapped inside the tunnel.

After reaching the Disaster Operations Centre in Dehradun, Dhami stated he reviewed the progress of the rescue operation at the under-construction THDC tunnel in Mayapur (Pipalkoti) and issued necessary instructions to officials.

Dhami also spoke to the rescued workers over the phone to check on their condition and assured them of all possible assistance.

“Information has been received about debris and water entering the THDC tunnel located in Peepalkoti. Considering the seriousness of the incident, teams from @NDRFHQ and @uksdrf have been immediately dispatched to the site. Instructions have been issued to all relevant agencies, including the district administration, to carry out relief and rescue operations at a war footing,” Dhami said on X.

He added, “I myself am in constant contact with the officials and continuously gathering updates on the situation. Our topmost priority is to safely evacuate every person trapped inside the tunnel. I pray to God for the safe well-being of all.”

Disaster management and rehabilitation secretary reacts

Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary of disaster management and rehabilitation, stated all relevant agencies had been instructed to coordinate closely and speed up relief and rescue efforts to safely bring out those trapped inside the tunnel.

“The priority is to safely evacuate all the people trapped inside the tunnel,” Suman said, adding that more resources and specialised teams would be deployed if needed to bolster the rescue operation, as per HT.

Officials said the district administration and agencies involved in the rescue efforts were working together at the site to ensure a coordinated response.

Bailey Bridge washed away in Chamoli; BRO vehicle, driver missing

Meanwhile, a Bailey Bridge was swept away by a sudden surge of water at Tamak Nala in Chamoli district on Monday evening, disrupting connectivity along the Niti-Malari road. A Border Roads Organisation (BRO) vehicle and its driver are also reported missing, officials said, according to ANI.

Chamoli Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Vivek Prakash said the water level at Tamak Nala rose sharply around 5:30 pm, causing the bridge to collapse. He stated a search operation was underway, with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams deployed to the site.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

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