Guwahati: Ten people are dead and 27 more remain trapped inside the NHPC Teesta Stage-VI hydropower project tunnel in Sikkim. Namchi Superintendent of Police Sonam Dolma confirmed the grim count on July 21. Rescue teams continue to push through debris following a methane gas explosion that triggered the collapse.
Recovery efforts hit a wall overnight. Heavy rain flooded the site, forcing crews to stop until they drained the water. Dolma noted the volatility of the situation as agencies struggle to verify the exact number of people still missing underground. "Around 27 people are trapped; this number could fluctuate. While 27 were trapped, we have managed to recover 10 bodies so far," she said.
Workers from across India died in the disaster. Identified victims hail from West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Assam, and Sikkim. Officials have not yet named three of the victims while they track down next of kin. Police and disaster teams, including the National Disaster Response Force and the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, are working at the site.
Authorities refuse to pin down a cause before a full probe concludes. The state government formed a Special Investigation Team to look into the accident. For now, the focus stays on the tunnel. Crews are working to clear the wreckage and find survivors.
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