Seven dead as water, debris enter tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli

CHAMOLI (Uttarakhand): Seven people were declared dead out of the 19 people rescued and brought to the District Hospital in Gopeshwar from an under-construction tunnel of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) at Pipalkoti in Chamoli, where several workers were trapped after water and debris entered the tunnel, officials said on Friday.

“A total of 19 people were brought here from THDC; seven of them have been declared dead at the hospital, while 13 arrived in relatively stable condition. We have admitted 10 of them. One young man, whose condition was somewhat unstable, has been referred to the Base Hospital in Srinagar”, Dr Aayush told reporters.

Dr Aayush of the District Hospital in Gopeshwar.

Rescue operations by NDRF and SDRF teams are underway to evacuate the remaining workers trapped inside the tunnel. Officials initially said 18 workers were rescued and shifted to the district hospital for treatment. NDRF team commander Amrit Lal Meena said a large volume of water had entered the tunnel when the rescue team reached the site, with water also seeping in from the sides.

“After our team arrived and started the operation, there was a massive volume of water inside the tunnel. The water level has risen significantly since then. Our personnel, using specialised equipment, have recovered four bodies from the water so far. The rescue operation is still underway and will continue until everyone is retrieved,” Meena said on Thursday.

THDC Executive Director (Projects) Kumar Sharad said around 20 to 22 workers were present inside the tunnel when the accident occurred. He said NDRF and SDRF teams were deployed for the rescue operation, and 18 workers had been rescued so far and shifted to the district hospital for treatment. Three to four of the rescued workers are in serious condition, he said. (ANI)