Video: Heavy Rain Triggers Landslide Near Tunnel Of Sevoke-Rangpo Rail Project

Heavy rain triggered a landslide near a tunnel of the under-construction Sevoke-Rangpo railway project on Tuesday, an official said, maintaining that there was no casualty or loss of railway assets.

According to Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR), the landslide occurred near tunnel number 7 of the ambitious project that will connect Sikkim with the rest of the country through the railway network.

A concrete structure guarding the approach slope of one of the tunnels of the key rail link project collapsed, showed a dramatic video.

Officials said that due to rain and landslides, heavy machinery and workers were already removed from the area.

"An incident of slope failure due to landslide on account of heavy rainfall has taken place near Tunnel no. 7 of the Sevok-Rangpo project being constructed by IRCON in Sikkim. As per reports from the field, there are no casualties or injuries to any workers or general public. There is no loss of any machinery or railway assets. The landslide is about 30 metres away from the tunnel location and there is no danger to the tunnel," Kapinjal Kishore Sarma, spokesperson of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), said in a press statement.

"In view of the heavy rainfall, precautionary measures had already been taken to remove the men and machinery from the site in advance. Work of debris removal and protection of the site is being started," the official added.

The project involves 14 tunnels, 13 major bridges, and 5 stations, with 86% of the route passing through tunnels.

The tunnel 7 is key to the project - the first underground Railway Station within the Indian Railways network, which will be Teesta Bazar Station comes in this tunnel, marking a pioneering step in the advancement of Railway infrastructure in the country.

The main tunnel spans 3082 meters, accompanied by an access tunnel. The cavern extends for 650 meters, featuring a single platform as part of its design.

Situated near the Teesta in the Kalimpong District of Bengal, this tunnel traverses through vulnerable and challenging geological and seismic conditions of the younger Himalayas. Like all other tunnels in the project, to counter vulnerability of the ground mass, latest and most sophisticated tunneling technology, i.e., New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) has been used here, the NFR sources added.  

The project is expected to be completed and made operational by 2027.