India tunnel disaster at hydropower project leaves 11 dead, 14 missing
At least 27 people were trapped, including some who entered the tunnel to help with rescue efforts after the blast
A suspected gas explosion on Monday triggered a collapse inside a tunnel that was under construction at a hydropower project in India’s northeastern Himalayan state of Sikkim, leaving at least 11 people dead and 14 missing, officials said on Tuesday.
State Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, who visited the disaster site near the Chinese border, said the explosion was triggered by a build-up of methane gas.
At least 27 people were trapped, including some who entered the tunnel to help with rescue efforts after the blast, while two workers escaped, Tamang said.
The blast ripped through the tunnel on Monday at Samardung village, about 40km (25 miles) from the state capital, Gangtok, where multiple workers were carrying out construction work on the 500-megawatt Teesta hydroelectric project, Anupama Tamling, a civil official in the area, told reporters.
Survivors who managed to escape told authorities they heard a loud explosion before debris came crashing through the tunnel, trapping dozens inside, she said.
Officials had recovered 11 bodies on Tuesday while rescue teams including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) raced to reach at least 14 people who remained trapped inside the tunnel, where toxic gases and hazardous conditions have hampered operations.