- Methane gas explosion during excavation caused the Sikkim Samardung tunnel incident
- At least ten people died, 12 rescued, and over 18 remain trapped inside the tunnel
- High methane levels hindered rescue efforts, forcing initial responders to retreat
A methan gas explosion during excavation work, rather than a landslide as initially reported, is believed to be behind the Sikkim's Samardung tunnel incident, sources at the project site said.
According to sources, the workers got stuck after rocks containing trapped methane gas exploded during excavation work inside the under-construction tunnel, triggering a massive methane gas leak.
At least ten people have been reported dead in the incident, while 12 have been rescued and over 18 are still feared trapped.
The incident happened in south Sikkim's Samardung tunnel at 3:09 pm on Monday. Patel Engineering is constructing a section of the Teesta Stage VI Hydroelectric Project here.
The hazardous gas quickly spread through the tunnel, making it impossible for the workers inside to escape and severely hampering rescue operations, sources said.
They said rescue personnel who initially entered the tunnel were forced to retreat due to the high concentration of methane gas before they could reach those trapped inside.
The workers feared trapped in the tinnel belong to different parts of the country, including Jharkhand, Assam, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, sources said.
They further said this was not the first methane gas leak reported inside the tunnel. A similar incident had allegedly occurred around four months ago, but it was relatively minor. During that incident, a few workers reportedly suffered first-degree burn injuries to their hands, and no one was trapped, sources added.
Monday's incident, however, is believed to be far more severe due to the reported methane gas explosion and the number of workers feared trapped, they said.
Sources said bodies recovered from inside the tunnel were found with extensive burn injuries and were not buried under debris, suggesting that the incident was caused by a methane gas leak during excavation rather than a landslide.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Sikkim Police and Fire and Emergency Services are carrying out rescue and search operations for the remaining trapped workers.
