CHAMOLI, INDIA, 15 August 2026 (TON): Seven workers died when water gushed inside a tunnel under construction at a hydroelectric project site in Chamoli district, officials said on Friday. Search for three missing persons is underway.
The incident occurred in a tunnel at Mayapur (Pipalkoti), when landslides and subsidence caused debris and water to fill half of the tunnel, trapping workers inside.
District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said 22 people were inside the tunnel at the time of the incident on Thursday.
Of them, 19 were rescued overnight, seven died, and a search for the three missing is on, he said.
According to a statement, the deceased were identified as Pradeep Singh Pawar of Tehri, Mukesh of Chamoli, Durlabh Sharma of Bihar, Vijay and Jitendra Kumar of Jharkhand, and Lokeshwar and Bhuneshwar, whose native place could not yet be ascertained.
The injured were taken to the Gopeshwar District Hospital.