A landslide caused a sudden surge of debris and water inside an under-construction THDC India tunnel near Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday evening, trapping 22 workers inside, officials said.
A sudden influx of water and debris following the landslide trapped those on shift, HT earlier reported. “Workers from the shift on duty got trapped inside. NDRF and SDRF teams, along with all our machinery, are currently engaged in operations for the remaining individuals, and we are hopeful that we will be able to rescue everyone within the next few hours.
As many as 18 workers have been rescued so far, while a search and rescue operation is underway for the remaining workers. About 14 or 15 people have already been rescued. The incident occurred around 7:05pm when 22 workers were inside the tunnel, according to police.
Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said the incident occurred when a large volume of debris and water suddenly surged into the tunnel while workers from the shift on duty were inside. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern over the incident and said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) had been dispatched to the site “considering the seriousness of the incident”. “Instructions have been issued to all relevant agencies, including the district administration, to carry out relief and rescue operations at a war footing,” he said. The district administration and all agencies involved in the relief and rescue operation are working in coordination at the incident site, officials said.
