At least seven workers were killed after a sudden rush of water and debris entered an under-construction hydropower tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday evening, trapping workers hundreds of metres underground.
The accident occurred around 7 pm in a tunnel of THDC India’s 444 MW Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project near Mayapur in the Pipalkoti area. Around 22 workers were believed to have been inside when water and debris suddenly surged into the tunnel.
By early Friday, seven deaths had been confirmed, while two workers remained trapped as rescue operations continued. Early official accounts varied slightly on the number of workers brought out, with authorities saying around 19 to 20 had been evacuated or accounted for.
Several rescued workers sustained injuries. Ten were admitted to the district hospital, while another worker in a serious condition was referred to the Base Hospital in Srinagar.
The tunnel was heavily waterlogged when rescue teams entered, with water continuing to seep in from the sides. NDRF personnel using specialised equipment recovered bodies from inside the tunnel, while other teams worked to reach the workers still trapped.
The rescue operation involves personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, local police and the district administration. Heavy machinery was deployed to remove debris and drain water. However, at least one loader sent inside the tunnel became stuck and was damaged, further complicating the operation.
The affected tunnel, described in reports as a roughly 2-km Tail Race Tunnel, is part of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project on the Alaknanda river. Construction work in the affected section was being carried out by Hindustan Construction Company.
Officials said a cavity may have formed following the sudden inflow of water, allowing mud and debris to enter the tunnel. Heavy rainfall had affected the region, although the precise sequence of events that caused the breach has not yet been established. Authorities have begun examining the cause of the accident.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami monitored the rescue operation through the night and directed agencies to deploy all available resources. He said the immediate priority was to safely evacuate every worker still trapped inside.
The Chamoli accident has also renewed scrutiny of safety arrangements at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti project. In December 2025, two industrial loco trains collided inside a project tunnel during a shift change. One train was carrying workers while the other was transporting construction material.
Following that accident, 70 workers were taken to the district hospital. Sixty-six were discharged after treatment, while four required admission. Another 18 workers received first aid at a hospital in Pipalkoti, and authorities ordered an inquiry into the collision.
The latest tunnel emergency is likely to raise fresh questions over worker safety, evacuation procedures and safeguards against water ingress, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.
The Chamoli tragedy comes less than a month after another major tunnel disaster in the Himalayan region. On July 20, a suspected methane-gas explosion struck the under-construction Teesta Stage VI hydroelectric project tunnel at Samardung in Sikkim. Rescue operations ended after all 25 workers caught in the disaster were confirmed dead.
In November 2023, a section of the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot road tunnel in Uttarkashi collapsed, trapping 41 workers behind around 60 metres of debris. All 41 workers were rescued on November 28 after a 17-day multi-agency operation.
Chamoli itself witnessed another major tunnel disaster in February 2021, when a devastating flash flood struck the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project. Workers were trapped inside tunnels, while a large number of people were killed or remained missing after the flood swept through the project area.
