7 killed, 3 trapped after under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand's Chamoli collapses

Seven workers are confirmed dead and three remain trapped inside a flooded, under-construction hydropower tunnel in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. The collapse occurred late Friday, more than 24 hours after a suspected aquifer burst unleashed a powerful surge of water and debris through the passage.

Preliminary assessments suggest a rain-saturated aquifer ruptured through the roof of the 3-kilometer tunnel, approximately 1.44 kilometers from the entrance. Ajay Verma, executive director of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project (VPHEP), described the event as a "surprise water body, an aquifer, blast inside the tunnel. It was like a cloudburst." He explained that rainwater had percolated into a water-bearing layer above the tunnel and was released under pressure through a weak rock section.

Rescue teams, including the NDRF, SDRF, Army, and other specialized units, have been working to locate the three missing men. They are navigating through chest-deep water along a 1.2-kilometer stretch of the tail-race tunnel. Continuous water inflow, low visibility, and the risk of further collapse are significantly slowing rescue efforts.

Of the 22 workers on shift when the incident occurred Thursday evening, 19 have been rescued. Seven were declared dead, and 12 were hospitalized with injuries. The three missing workers have been identified as Lucas Topno from Jharkhand and Chetan Poyam and Devnath, both from Chhattisgarh.

This incident marks the ninth accident or weather-related disaster to impact a Himalayan hydroelectric or dam project since late June. The deadliest of these was a methane explosion on July 20 in Sikkim, which killed 25 workers at the Teesta Stage-VI project.

“

There was a surprise water body, an aquifer, blast inside the tunnel. It was like a cloudburst.