CHAMOLI — Rescue teams on Saturday recovered the body of another worker from the under-construction Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) tunnel at Mayapur, taking the death toll in the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti tunnel accident to eight, officials said. Two workers remained missing and search operations were continuing.
Operation details and impediments
Pipalkoti police outpost in-charge Laxmikant Bijalwan said the latest recovered worker has been identified as Devnath, son of Dhansu Ram Baghel, a resident of Dahigonda village in Chhattisgarh. The body was among three workers who had remained unaccounted for immediately after the incident.
Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said teams from the district administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other departments were engaged in an intensive search. He described the effort as being carried out on a war footing.
“The search for the two missing workers is being carried out on a war footing. Rescue teams are carefully examining the places where they are suspected to be trapped,” DM Gaurav Kumar said.
Officials said a large volume of accumulated water inside the tunnel and debris were the major obstacles to deeper searches. Suction pumps and other equipment have been deployed to drain the tunnel; district authorities reported that as water levels recede, movement of rescue personnel into deeper sections will become easier.
Agencies and methods involved
Multiple agencies are working jointly at the site. Besides the SDRF and NDRF, police and local administration teams are involved; officials have also used underwater cameras, dog squads and heavy machinery where feasible. The presence of submerged cement, metallic equipment and machinery inside the tunnel has necessitated cautious movement to avoid additional casualties among rescuers.
- Bodies recovered: 8 (including workers from Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand)
- Workers rescued alive: 12 — of these, 11 are undergoing treatment in hospital and one with minor injuries has been discharged
- Still missing: 2
Officials reiterated that the rescue operation remains hazardous because seepage from the tunnel roof and walls continues to raise water levels inside the passage. Teams are using pumps and other specialised equipment to accelerate drainage before personnel can access deeper stretches safely.
Human toll and locations
Authorities said the recovered bodies include three each from Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and two from Uttarakhand. The incident occurred in the Tail Race Tunnel (TRT) of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project, executed by Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) for THDCIL. At the time of the accident, workers were reportedly concreting the tunnel lining.
The accident has heightened scrutiny of safety and emergency preparedness at large civil-engineering projects in hilly terrain, where sudden inflows of water and debris during monsoon-related landslides can rapidly overwhelm underground worksites. Officials have not issued a conclusive statement attributing a single cause beyond the immediate triggering event of water and debris entering the tunnel.
Current status and next steps
Rescue commanders said available resources and specialised equipment were being concentrated on probable locations inside the tunnel. Once pumps reduce water levels sufficiently, teams plan to intensify physical searches in deeper sections.
Medical teams at area hospitals continue treating the 11 survivors; authorities have not provided further details on the condition of those admitted. District officials said families of the deceased and missing were being informed and assisted by the administration.
| Metric | Number |
|---|---|
| Bodies recovered | 8 |
| Rescued alive | 12 (11 hospitalised, 1 discharged) |
| Missing | 2 |
Authorities have not provided a timeline for when the search will be concluded. The ongoing operation underscores the risks faced by construction workers in tunnel projects, particularly during the monsoon season, and the logistical challenges emergency teams confront when attempting to extract trapped personnel under waterlogged, debris-filled conditions.
