Dehradun, 14 August (H.S.):
Seven people have died in an accident at an under-construction THDC tunnel in the Mayapur-Pipalkoti area of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district after debris and water flooded the tunnel. Rescue and relief operations are underway to evacuate those still trapped, while Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Pipalkoti on Friday despite extremely adverse weather conditions.
According to the district administration, debris and water accumulated along approximately 1.50 km of the TRT tunnel of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project following ground subsidence on Thursday evening. The tunnel is approximately three km long. Following the accident, 22 people were reported to be trapped inside the tunnel.
District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar remained at the site throughout the night and continued to oversee the rescue operation. According to the administration, efforts are underway to safely evacuate the remaining trapped persons. Six rescue personnel who entered the tunnel to assist with the operation have also been reported safe.
The injured are undergoing treatment at the District Hospital in Gopeshwar, according to the district administration.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), police and other technical and specialist agencies are engaged in the relief and rescue operation. The presence of debris and water inside the tunnel has created challenging conditions for the rescue teams.
The District Magistrate has directed officials and rescue teams to make use of all available resources and technical assistance to evacuate the trapped workers as quickly and safely as possible. The administration said the operation was being conducted on the highest priority.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Pipalkoti on Friday amid extremely poor weather. The adverse conditions also made it difficult for the helicopter to land at the site.
Dhami will conduct an on-site assessment of the relief and rescue operation being carried out to evacuate the workers trapped inside the under-construction THDC tunnel. He said ensuring the safe evacuation of every worker trapped inside the tunnel was the state government's highest priority. All concerned agencies are working in coordination and conducting relief and rescue operations on a war footing, he said.
The deceased have been identified as Pradeep Singh Pawar, 31, Mukesh, Durlabh Sharma, Vijay, 28, Jitendra Kumar, Lokeshwar and Bhuneshwar. Pradeep Singh Pawar was a resident of Gewal village in the Chamba area of Tehri district. Mukesh was reportedly from Urgam in Chamoli district. Durlabh Sharma was from Bihar, while Vijay and Jitendra Kumar were residents of Jharkhand. Further details regarding Lokeshwar and Bhuneshwar are being ascertained.
According to the list of workers admitted to the District Hospital in Gopeshwar, Sunil Diwan, 20, is from Chhattisgarh. Habil Gudia, 27, Nistar Bhigra, 24, Vinod Ravana, 46, Dina Baigra, 26, and Khela Ram Bisra, 22, are residents of Jharkhand.
Chhabeer Singh, 45, is from Punjab, while Tilak Raj, 48, is from Himachal Pradesh. Chandan Kumar, 39, Awadhesh, Nandlal and Rohit Pandey, 20, are from Bihar, while Pen Singh, 33, is from Chhattisgarh.
Rohit Pandey has been referred to Srinagar for further treatment. Govind has been discharged, while further details regarding his identity and other particulars are being ascertained.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
