Three more dead bodies were retrieved from the under-construction tunnel of the Teesta Stage-VI Hydel Project at Samardung in South Sikkim on Wednesday, where a methane explosion took place earlier this week, taking the death toll to 15, even as 10 people still remain missing, officials said.
Event Context
At least 25 workers were working inside Adit-3 of the 15-km-long tunnel, connecting the barrage at Siwarni with the powerhouse at Tarkhola in South Sikkim, when a methane explosion took place around Monday afternoon.
Rescuers have to enter the tunnel wearing self-contained breathing apparatuses which help to maintain a steady supply of oxygen during long-haul rescue operations. Each apparatus weighs around 15 kgs.
Player Focus
People aware of the developments at the accident site said that the search and rescue operations were suspended for a few hours because water and mud had accumulated at the site.
Team Analysis
Rescuers, who went inside the tunnel with breathing apparatus looking for trapped survivors, described the tunnel as pitch-dark, hot, full of poisonous gases and muddy.
“Conditions are very bad inside. It is pitch-dark and hot inside. The tunnel is full of poisonous gases such as methane and carbon monoxide. The floor of the tunnel is full of mud and our legs were frequently getting stuck,” said a member of the rescue team of Coal India Limited.
“We have recovered three bodies on Wednesday. The death toll is 15. At least 10 persons are still missing. Rescue teams from the NDRF and Coal India Limited are still working at the site,” said Sonam D Bhutia, Namchi district superintendent of police (SP).
The dead are migrant workers from West Bengal, Jharkhand, Punjab, Assam and Uttarakhand. One worker from Sikkim also died.
Members of the CIL rescue team claimed to have spotted at least eight more bodies inside the tunnel on Tuesday.
“Our gas detectors are equipped to detect and measure the levels of four gases – hydrogen sulphide, oxygen, methane and carbon monoxide. During the rescue operations, we detected high doses of methane and carbon monoxide. Usually, a site is evacuated if the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) of these gases touches 20%. But the doses of carbon monoxide and methane are much higher in the tunnel, making it difficult to work,” said an official working at the site.
Rescuers who went inside said it was very difficult to walk as their legs kept getting stuck in the mud, and every time they had to use something to pull their legs out, making the rescue operations more strenuous and difficult.
“We have deployed earth movers. Our engineers are repairing the damaged pipes so that water and mud could be pumped out and rescuers could go in. The rescuers are wearing masks and 15-kg breathing apparatuses fitted with oxygen cylinders to go inside the dark tunnel and look for survivors and bodies,” said an official.
Match Outlook
“During tunnel excavations, a lot of mud, silt and water comes out. They are pumped out. But as the blast has damaged the equipment and pipelines, the mud and water couldn’t be pumped out, and hence the floor has become muddy, and water has accumulated in pockets hampering rescue operations,” said another official.
