Uttarakhand Tunnel Accident: Seven Workers Killed, 13 Injured After Landslide

The tunnel was flooded late on Thursday after a landslide caused water and debris to surge into the structure, trapping construction workers inside. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a “war-like rescue operation” was under way to evacuate workers still trapped in the tunnel.

The State Disaster Management Authority said three workers remain missing.

“Evacuating every worker safely is our top priority,” Dhami said in a social media post.

Videos shared by local authorities showed rescue workers equipped with head-mounted torches using makeshift rafts to reach the flooded section of the tunnel.

“When our team reached the site and started the operation, there was a lot of water inside the tunnel and water was also seeping from the sides. Since then, the water level has increased considerably,” said Amrit Lal Meena, commander of the National Disaster Response Force team.

Uttarakhand has been battered by heavy monsoon rains in recent days, adding to the difficult conditions at the accident site.

Accidents at large construction sites are common in India, but ecologists say excessive development projects have contributed to more disasters in fragile Himalayan areas.

Last month, 20 people working in a tunnel for another state-run hydroelectric project were killed in the remote northeastern state of Sikkim.

In 2023, 41 workers were rescued after being trapped for 17 days inside a tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand.

Hundreds of people have been killed in floods and landslides across the country since the start of the annual monsoon season in June, underscoring the continuing risks faced by workers and communities in areas affected by heavy rainfall and landslides.