Authorities in India have confirmed that at least 10 people have died and 17 others remain missing after a suspected gas explosion triggered the collapse of a tunnel under construction at a hydropower project in India’s northeastern state of Sikkim.
Officials disclosed that the blast ripped through the tunnel at Samardung village, near the border with Bhutan and Tibet in the Himalayas.
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Reports indicate that several workers were carrying out construction projects on the 500-megawatt project for the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) on the Teesta River.
Survivors told authorities they heard a loud explosion before debris came crashing through the tunnel, trapping dozens inside.
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation said in a statement that a sudden burst of gas suspected to be methane trapped or embedded in rocks in the tunnel caused the blast and as news of the accident spread, six officials entered the tunnel to assist in rescue efforts but became trapped there.
The Local Police Chief Sonam Dolma said that rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), have been struggling to reach those trapped because of hazardous conditions inside the tunnel, where toxic gases have accumulated.
The National Disaster Response Force official, Nitin Kumar told reporters at the scene that they found toxic gases such as methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide inside the tunnel and the rescuers were using specialised breathing equipment as they tried to search for survivors amid dangerous air conditions.
Construction accidents are not uncommon in India, especially in the Himalayan region, where seismic activity and unpredictable underground conditions make tunnel projects especially risky.
It should be remembered that in 2023, 41 workers were trapped for 17 days before being rescued after a section of a tunnel in northern Uttarakhand state collapsed.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press.
