Chamoli tunnel flood: Death toll rises to 8, two workers still trapped

Rescue teams in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district recovered the body of an eighth worker from a flooded tunnel under construction on Saturday, even as they continued their search for two workers still trapped inside.

The tunnel, part of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation's (THDC) Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project in Mayapur, Pipalkoti, was flooded on Thursday evening, trapping 22 workers. Water rushed in around 7 p.m. after landslides and subsidence caused debris and water to fill half the tunnel, according to District Disaster Management Officer N.K. Joshi.

Seven workers were confirmed dead on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, Chamoli Additional District Magistrate Vivek Prakash said one more body was recovered during the rescue operation. The identity of the latest casualty has not been released yet.

Rescue teams are using suction pumps to drain water from the tunnel and are making desperate efforts to reach the two workers still inside, officials said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Pipalkoti on Friday and reviewed the rescue operations.

The deceased have been identified as Pradeep Singh Pawar of Tehri, Mukesh of Chamoli, Durlabh Sharma of Bihar, Vijay Hansda and Jitendra Kumar of Jharkhand, and Lokeshwar and Bhuneshwar of Chhattisgarh.

Officials had listed three workers as missing as of Friday: Lucas Topno of Jharkhand and Chetan Poyam and Devnath of Chhattisgarh. With the recovery of one body on Saturday, two workers are still unaccounted for, and the search operation continues.

The Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project is being developed by THDC, a central public sector undertaking. The incident has raised questions about safety protocols at construction sites in the Himalayan region, which is prone to landslides and flash floods.

Further details are awaited as the rescue operation enters its third day.