Seven Workers Killed As Water, Debris Flood Uttarakhand Hydro Project Tunnel

Lucknow: Seven workers were killed and 14 injured after a sudden rush of water and debris entered an under-construction tunnel at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, triggering a major overnight rescue operation, officials said Friday.

The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Thursday inside a tunnel of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation-owned project near Mayapur in the Pipalkoti area. Construction work was being carried out by Hindustan Construction Company.

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said a large-scale, multi-agency rescue operation was launched immediately after the incident. "By 11 p.m., 21 workers were evacuated from the tunnel," Kumar told reporters.

Officials said around 30 workers were inside the tunnel when a landslide and heavy water seepage suddenly blocked part of the passage. By around 11 p.m., 21 workers had been brought out, seven of whom were declared dead. Fourteen injured workers were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The district administration mobilized teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, police, fire services and the District Disaster Response Force. Heavy machinery and specialized equipment were deployed to clear debris and reach the affected section.

NDRF team commander Amrit Lal Meena said the tunnel was heavily flooded when his team arrived. "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," Meena said.

NDRF personnel who entered the tunnel reported that large quantities of water had accumulated inside and that water was continuing to seep through the sides. Rescue workers used blue plastic drums to help move through the flooded section.

The incident has again raised concerns about the risks associated with tunnel construction in Uttarakhand's geologically fragile Himalayan terrain.

The same project was the site of another serious accident in December, when two loco trains collided inside a tunnel while more than 100 people were working underground. About 60 workers, officials and other personnel were injured. Construction work was subsequently halted for a period following the accident.

Accidents in project sites

Tunnel accidents and disasters have repeatedly exposed the hazards associated with major infrastructure projects in Uttarakhand.

In August 2025, 19 workers were trapped inside a National Hydroelectric Power Corporation tunnel in Pithoragarh after a landslide blocked its entrance. Rescue teams had to clear debris to reach the workers.

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The state's most prominent tunnel rescue came in November 2023, when a section of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi collapsed, trapping 41 workers underground. All 41 were rescued after a 17-day operation that involved multiple agencies, specialized equipment and experts from India and abroad.

The accident also recalls the February 2021 Chamoli disaster, when a sudden flood and massive quantities of debris swept into tunnels at the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project during the Rishi Ganga disaster. More than 100 people died in the disaster, many of them workers at hydropower projects in the area.