Debris, water trap 22 workers at Vishnugad-Pipalkoti project
Dehradun: Seven workers were killed and three remained missing after an under-construction tunnel of the THDC Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Chamoli district collapsed following a landslide on August 23 evening, the state disaster management department said on Friday.
The department said 22 workers, mostly from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, were trapped under debris and muck inside the three-km tunnel. Nineteen workers were taken out during an overnight search and rescue operation, while the search for three others continued.
Relief and rescue operations led by the district administration continued overnight after debris and water flooded the under-construction THDC tunnel in the Mayapur-Pipalkoti area of Chamoli.
"The 3 km Tail Race Tunnel (TRT) of THDC's Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project crumbled down causing a heavy influx of debris and water at around 1.5 kilometers distance leaving the workers trapped inside. "Out of the total 22 people trapped workers, 19 were successfully rescued by Friday morning. Seven of them were dead as the search and rescue operation for remaining three individuals was still underway" stated the state disaster management department's statement issued in the evening.
The department said all six rescuers who entered the tunnel immediately after the incident to assist in the rescue operation were safe. The rescued and injured workers were admitted to the District Hospital in Gopeshwar for treatment.
The statement said teams from the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP and local police, along with technical experts, continued the search for the three missing workers amid mud and water inside the tunnel.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the deaths and said the state government would provide all possible medical assistance to the injured workers. He visited the accident site and met the injured at the hospital.
Earlier in the day, Dhami spoke to his counterparts in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and assured them that Uttarakhand was with every worker and their families at this hour. He said the Uttarakhand government was maintaining coordination with both state governments and sharing necessary information with them.
