Several Workers Trapped As Water, Debris Enter Tunnel in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

At least 10 workers are trapped after water and debris entered a tunnel in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district this evening. Rescuers are trying to reach the trapped people at the project site of Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd (THDC) in Chamoli's Pipalkoti.

Eighteen people were working in the tunnel when a sudden flow of water rushed inside. The strong currents swept many of them towards the tunnel's exit, reports said.

Some 14-15 workers have been rescued so far, district magistrate Gaurav Kumar said. Ambulances and police teams have reached the location, said Chamoli police chief Surjeet Singh Pawar said.

"This is a tunnel under construction for a hydropower project. Around 6.30 pm, a significant amount of debris and water surged into the tunnel. Workers from the shift on duty at the time were trapped," Kumar said, adding they hope to find the rest of the workers in the next few hours.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered rescue and relief operations to be taken up on a war footing. Dhami said he is taking real-time updates from senior officers.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are going through the debris to search for the trapped workers.

It had been raining heavily in the district for the last few days. On Monday, strong currents due to rising water level in a river had swept away a bridge in the district's Niti Valley region. In a video of the incident, a massive volume of water mixed with mud rushed downstream and slammed into the metal bridge. Within seconds, the sheer force of the water uprooted the bridge and pushed it towards the riverbank.