At least 7 killed in India after hydropower project tunnel collapses

At least seven workers have died following the collapse of a tunnel under construction at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project in Uttarakhand, India. The incident occurred late Thursday night when a sudden rush of water and debris entered the tunnel in Chamoli district. Officials confirmed the fatalities on Friday. A rescue operation was immediately launched. Of the 22 workers present in the tunnel at the time, 12 have been rescued alive, and three remain missing. The chief minister of Uttarakhand state, Pushkar Singh Dhami, provided details on the rescued and missing individuals.

A landslide caused a burst of water and debris into a state-run hydropower tunnel in Uttarakhand, northern India, trapping construction workers. The accident, which occurred late on Thursday, resulted in at least seven workers killed and 13 injured, with three still missing. A "war-like rescue operation" is underway, with rescue teams using rafts to access the flooded tunnel where the water level has significantly increased. This incident follows a pattern of accidents on large construction sites in India, particularly in the fragile Himalayan region, which ecologists attribute to excessive development.

A tunnel collapse at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project in Uttarakhand, India, has resulted in the deaths of at least seven workers. The incident occurred Thursday night when a rush of water and debris entered the tunnel. Of the 22 workers inside, 12 have been rescued, and three remain missing. Rescue operations are ongoing, with teams battling rising water levels and debris to find the remaining individuals. Construction accidents are noted as common in India due to rapid infrastructure growth, fragile geology, and safety issues, particularly in the risky Himalayan region. This incident follows a previous tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand in 2023 that trapped 41 workers.