Uttarakhand tunnel tragedy leaves 7 dead in Chamoli

Seven workers died after water gushed into a tunnel under construction at a hydroelectric project in Chamoli district, officials said on Friday.

The search for three missing persons is underway.

The incident took place in a tunnel at Mayapur (Pipalkoti) on Thursday after landslides and subsidence caused debris and water to fill half of the tunnel, trapping workers inside.

District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said 22 people were inside the tunnel when the incident occurred.

Of them, 19 were rescued overnight, seven died, and a search for the three missing is continuing, he said.

According to a statement, the deceased were identified as Pradeep Singh Pawar of Tehri, Mukesh of Chamoli, Durlabh Sharma of Bihar, Vijay and Jitendra Kumar of Jharkhand, and Lokeshwar and Bhuneshwar, whose native place could not yet be ascertained.

The injured were taken to the Gopeshwar District Hospital.

Six rescue personnel entered the tunnel, which remains filled with water.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the police are carrying out the rescue operation.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami landed at Pipalkoti in a helicopter to oversee the operations.

District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar, who was at the site, called for all resources needed to be marshalled to locate the missing persons.