New Delhi:
Rescuers are working arduous to search out three lacking individuals inside a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli the place a sudden ingress of water final night led to a disaster scenario. The efforts to search out them face an enormous problem on account of steady rainfall within the space, officers mentioned, including the water degree contained in the tunnel has been rising too.
Garhwal Vary Inspector Basic of Police Rajiv Swaroop confirmed that they’re dealing with difficulties within the rescue operation on account of steady rain, however are assured that the operation can be profitable.
“The realm the place the particles has amassed is flooded, and it’s being quickly eliminated with the assistance of machines. The continual rain is posing some challenges to the operation… We’ve got marked a particular space for the operation, the place each sq. metre is being fastidiously inspected,” he mentioned.
A complete of twenty-two individuals have been working on the mission web site of Tehri Hydro Improvement Company Ltd (THDC) in Chamoli’s Pipalkoti when a big quantity of water out of the blue rushed inside, sweeping away lots of them.
Rescuers managed to convey out 19 of them yesterday, however seven died throughout remedy, district Justice of the Peace Gaurav Kumar mentioned. The remainder of the injured employees have been hospitalised, he mentioned.
The rescuers are from a number of businesses together with the State and its bigger counterpart, the Nationwide Catastrophe Response Drive (NDRF).
“On the time of the incident which occurred yesterday, 22 individuals have been working right here. At about 1.8 km contained in the tunnel, water and particles got here dashing in and trapped them. Six individuals have been despatched to rescue them and so they got here again safely after a while,” Kumar advised information company ANI.
“Of the 22 individuals stranded, a complete of 19 have been rescued yesterday. Three are nonetheless lacking, and dewatering is being performed for them. Of all of the 19 rescued yesterday, seven died within the hospital and 12 sustained minor accidents. One is vital and he has been referred to Larger Centre Srinagar. The remaining 11 are being handled within the district hospital,” he mentioned.
#WATCH | DM Chamoli Gaurav Kumar says, “On the time of the incident which occurred yesterday, 22 individuals have been working right here. At about 1.8 km contained in the tunnel, water and particles got here dashing in and trapped them. 6 individuals have been despatched to rescue them and so they got here again safely after some… https://t.co/nR0GxAIOJT pic.twitter.com/k9uxs3XUak
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2026
It had been raining closely within the district for the previous few days. On Monday, sturdy currents on account of rising water degree in a river had swept away a bridge within the district’s Niti Valley area.
In a video of the incident, a large quantity of water combined with mud rushed downstream and slammed into the steel bridge. Inside seconds, the sheer drive of the water uprooted the bridge and pushed it in direction of the riverbank.
