The death toll in the Pipalkoti tunnel accident rose to eight on Saturday after rescuers recovered another body. Teams are still searching for two people believed to be trapped inside the under-construction THDC tunnel.
Chamoli Additional District Magistrate Vivek Prakash said rescue work was being carried out under difficult conditions, with heavy water flow making it harder for teams to reach the missing workers.
Prakash said the water level inside the tunnel had been brought down to some extent. One body was recovered on Saturday and taken to the hospital. Search teams are continuing efforts to locate the two others.
Several agencies are working together on the rescue operation, including the NDRF, SDRF, Army and paramilitary forces. However, bad weather and rising water inside the tunnel have slowed down the operation.
Prakash said the local administration and police reached the site first after the incident. SDRF, DDRF and NDRF teams were later brought in to assist with the rescue work.
Workers and staff from HCC and THDC also joined the operation. Rescue teams had tried to reach the trapped workers through the night but were unable to make progress because of the high water level.
Pumps from NTPC and THDC were later brought in to remove the water from the tunnel. The pumping helped lower the water level considerably and allowed rescuers to recover another body.
Earlier on Saturday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the safety of workers at construction sites must remain the top priority. He also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident.
Dhami said a sudden flow of water and debris entered the under-construction THDC tunnel in Chamoli and trapped 22 workers. He said rescue operations were continuing to locate the remaining missing workers, with NDRF, SDRF and the district administration involved in the effort.
The Chief Minister said the inquiry would establish what caused the incident and identify measures to prevent similar accidents in the future. He reiterated that the safety of workers must not be compromised under any circumstances.
According to NDRF team commander Amrit Lal Meena, the incident took place after a landslide-like event near the Birhi River sent a large amount of water and debris into the tunnel. Workers inside were caught in the sudden surge.
NDRF and SDRF teams are continuing the search. The operation also involves the District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
Water and thick sludge inside the tunnel have made the rescue effort difficult. The accumulated debris has restricted movement and is slowing down the search for the remaining workers.
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