Chamoli, Uttarakhand: Six workers lost their lives and 16 others were pulled out alive after a sudden inflow of water and debris struck an under-construction tunnel at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project on Thursday, officials said.
Rescue operation and agencies involved
The incident occurred at about 7.05 pm in the Pipalkoti area of Chamoli district at a tunnel being built by Hindustan Construction Company for a Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) project, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was quoted as saying by The Hindu. Initial reports compiled by PTI placed the number of people inside the tunnel at 22.
Within minutes of the event, multiple agencies were mobilised to the site. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), SDRF, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and local police joined the effort, officials said. Additional deployments were to be sent as required, Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, told PTI.
"Sixteen workers were rescued," Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a social media post, according to PTI.
Sequence and scale of impact
Authorities said water and debris entered the tunnel after heavy rainfall in the region over the past several days. Chamoli has seen sustained downpours, and earlier in the week a bridge in the Niti Valley was swept away by rising river currents, The Hindu reported.
Rescue teams worked through difficult terrain and ongoing wet conditions to reach the site and extract survivors. Hospitals in the area received the injured for treatment; officials have not released details about the severity of injuries or the identities of the deceased.
Project, contractor and site details
The tunnel is part of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project owned by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation. Construction work at the tunnel was being executed by Hindustan Construction Company, according to PTI and The Hindu.
- Project owner: Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC)
- Contractor: Hindustan Construction Company (HCC)
- Location: Pipalkoti, Chamoli district
- People inside tunnel: 22 (initially reported)
- Casualties: 6 dead, 16 rescued (as per CM's post and PTI)
Weather and safety context
Chamoli district has been under heavy rainfall for several days, increasing runoff in mountain streams and putting pressure on construction sites and river crossings. Flood-prone and landslide-prone areas in the Upper Himalayan valleys have seen similar incidents in recent seasons, raising concerns about site safety during monsoon conditions.
Officials said they were monitoring the situation and would deploy further resources as necessary. District administrative officers and disaster officials were on site to coordinate relief and recovery, PTI reported.
What authorities have said
State disaster officials confirmed the time of the incident and the mobilisation of central and state agencies. Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, told PTI that reinforcements would be dispatched if needed. The Chief Minister confirmed the number of rescued in his social media post.
Local impact and next steps
The immediate priorities are completing rescue work, recovering the deceased, treating the injured and ensuring safety at nearby project works. Agencies on site will inspect the tunnel and surrounding slopes to determine the cause of the inrush and to assess risks of further incidents. Any formal inquiry or detailed cause analysis would be conducted by the project owner and relevant authorities once the scene is secure.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time reported | About 7.05 pm (as quoted by SDRF) |
| People inside tunnel | 22 (initial reports) |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Rescued | 16 (as per Chief Minister's social media post) |
Further developments, including medical status of the injured and any formal orders for investigation, will be monitored and reported as information is released by official agencies and the project authorities.
