Kochi, 22 July (H.S.):
At least 20 people were killed and five others, including an NHPC manager from Kerala, remain missing after an under-construction tunnel at the Teesta Hydroelectric Project collapsed in Sikkim's Namchi district on Monday following a suspected methane gas explosion.
Rescue operations are continuing at the project site in Samardung, South Sikkim, where teams are battling difficult conditions to reach those believed to be trapped beneath the debris. Officials said the unstable underground structure has made the rescue operation highly challenging.
Among the missing is 43-year-old Aneesh Mohan, a native of Koorothuparambil in Pampady, Kottayam district. Aneesh is the manager of the Sikkim unit of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the central government-owned enterprise implementing the hydel project. His wife, Sangeetha, has left for Sikkim as rescue efforts continue.
Aneesh has been with NHPC since 2011 and is based in Delhi. He was at the project site on official duty when the accident occurred.
According to NHPC, the tunnel collapsed at around 1 p.m. while rock excavation work was underway. Preliminary information suggests that methane gas accumulated inside the tunnel and exploded, causing a major section of the underground structure to cave in.
A total of 25 people, including NHPC officials, engineers and workers, were inside the tunnel at the time of the accident. While some managed to escape or were rescued, 20 people lost their lives and five remain untraceable.
Specialised mine rescue personnel from West Bengal have joined the operation, bringing equipment designed for underground rescue missions. The Sikkim government has also constituted an expert committee to investigate the methane gas leak and determine the exact cause of the accident.
The state government has announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh for the families of those killed and ₹50,000 each for those injured. Authorities said rescue operations would continue until all those missing are accounted for.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman