New Delhi: Seven workers died as a column of slush broke though an under-construction tunnel at a hydroelectric project site in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli on Thursday following continued heavy rainfall in the hilly district, with a multi-agency search and rescue operation still underway to find three missing persons.
Officials said a team of around 80 rescuers waded through chest-deep water and debris to find and save the trapped workers. The operation launched at 7 pm Thursday, continued well into Friday, with the rescuers using improvised drum rafts, its paddle made with iron, and heavy excavators.
At least 10 water-pumping machines have been deployed to empty the water from the two ends of the tunnel, where cementing work was underway.
District officials told ThePrint when the incident happened at the under-construction Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) tunnel at Mayapur (Pipalkoti), 22 workers were deployed at site, and all of them got trapped as water mixed with soil and other debris came gushing in.
Rescue teams managed to bring out 19 of them, seven of whom died, they said, adding the rescue operation is underway to find the three others.
A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) official said teams at the spot are carrying out operations in rotation, with the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) coordinating the efforts. Local police and CISF personnel are also contributing to the operations.
“This is a very large area, approximately 900 metres, which is filled with water, and there is also sludge beneath the water. Due to this, conducting a search operation in that 900-metre area is proving difficult.”
He said the low visibility is also proving to be an impediment.
आज पीपलकोटी, चमोली में आपदा प्रभावित टनल क्षेत्र में चल रहे राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों का स्थलीय निरीक्षण किया।
टनल में फंसे कई श्रमिकों को कल ही सुरक्षित बाहर निकाल लिया गया था। शेष फंसे श्रमिकों को सुरक्षित निकालने के लिए युद्धस्तर पर रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन लगातार जारी है। मौके पर अभियान… pic.twitter.com/rN0uXdknom
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) August 14, 2026
Heavy rainfall, flooded tunnel
Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Pawar told ThePrint that the district had been experiencing heavy rainfall in days leading into the incident. “At approximately 6.30-6.45 pm, debris and water burst out from a cavity at the 1.8-km mark in the tunnel. Workers present at the site were trapped in this,” Pawar said.
“The rainwater was stored in the cavities of all rocks and cliffs. There was sunlight for two days, which created gas-like pressure, and the water on top of the tunnel, in full force, broke through those cavities,” he explained.
The Tail Race Tunnel (TRT), which carries water away from the powerhouse after it passes through the turbines, at THDC’s Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project is approximately 3-km long.
“A situation involving the influx of debris and water arose due to a cave-in/subsidence in a section spanning about 1.50 kilometers of the tunnel. Consequently, some workers inside the tunnel became trapped,” a district official told ThePrint.
The long night
“Our main challenge was water, mixed with debris. It was difficult for all workers to move around and escape. All escape routes were blocked. The debris was heavy material,” Nand Kishore Joshi, Disaster Management Officer told ThePrint.
NDRF officials also said their rescue team is equipped with necessary equipment and a dog squad.
“The water was chest-level. At first, we managed to rescue the first batch of eight people. The fire team was deployed here. We had to think of smarter and quicker strategies because manually it was difficult to rescue people. Our first idea was to build a raft using drums. We made the paddle using iron. The raft proved beneficial,” a senior police officer deployed at the rescue site told ThePrint.
चमोली जनपद के मायापुर (पीपलकोटी) स्थित टीएचडीसी की निर्माणाधीन टनल में मलबा एवं पानी भरने की घटना के बाद मुख्यमंत्री श्री पुष्कर सिंह धामी ने आज घटनास्थल पर पहुंचकर राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों का निरीक्षण किया। उन्होंने रेस्क्यू अभियान की प्रगति की जानकारी ली और अधिकारियों एवं बचाव… pic.twitter.com/euVt5jJskr
— Uttarakhand DIPR (@DIPR_UK) August 14, 2026
He said the next goal was to rescue as many people as they could in one go, so a bigger raft was needed.
The officer said the excavators that were deployed at the tunnel proved beneficial. “It helped in braving through the force of water. The bucket was used to carry multiple people,” the officer quoted above said.
“The goal was to use as many strategies as we could. There was light inside the tunnel, but we knew the workers were in a state of panic,” he said.
While rescue work was underway, machines were constantly pumping out water.
Another Assistant Commandant with the NDRF said that a machine to reduce the water volume was installed. “Once the water-level began to drop, the situation became clearer. The situation inside was challenging due to the rising water levels.”
Workers from Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar
District officials told ThePrint that the workers who were deployed on ground were from Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar, among other states. The deceased have been identified as Pradeep Singh, Mukesh, Durlabh Sharma, Vijay, Jitendra Kumar, Lokeshwar, and Bhuneshwar.
They were working as helpers, masons, welders, foremen, steel fitter, marlo operators, tamrock operators, and khalasi.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar over the phone to obtain detailed information, and directed that all necessary arrangements be ensured immediately.
Dhami also to the chief ministers of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh over the phone, assuring them of all possible assistance for the workers affected by the tunnel accident.
He said that if any worker needs to be referred to a higher medical institution, appropriate arrangements will be made for that as well.
District officials said that some workers sustained serious injuries and are being stabilized, while those with minor injuries have been sent for X-rays.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also read: ThePrint photos of the week: Uttarakhand, Philippines President’s welcome, to Kartavya Bhavan