An under-construction tunnel at the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) project site in Pipalkoti area of Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, collapsed on Thursday, trapping several workers.
At least 16 workers have been rescued, according to ANI. Five of the rescued workers were injured, with two of them in "relatively serious condition and are being stabilised," said CMO Rajiv Singh Pal.
Reports suggest that more workers were still trapped inside the tunnel.
There was a sudden surge of water in the tunnel due to heavy rains, which is part of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project, according to police.
A rescue operation is currently underway to safely evacuate the remaining workers trapped inside the tunnel. The situation remains critical due to a sudden and heavy inflow of water.
"Additional ambulances have been dispatched to the site. Police and administrative teams have arrived at the location," said Surjeet Singh Pawar, Chamoli Superintendent of Police.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed officials to carry out rescue operations on war footing. NDRF and SDRF teams have been dispatched to the tunnel site.
This comes less than a month after 25 workers in an under-construction tunnel in Sikkim were killed after a portion of it collapsed following methane gas explosion. This tunnel was built to carry water from Teesta River to a hydropower plant's turbines.
"The rescue operation at the under-construction Head Race Tunnel (HRT) of NHPC's Teesta Stage-VI Hydroelectric Project in Sikkim has been concluded with the recovery of bodies of all the 25 personnel trapped inside the tunnel," stated the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), which is behind the project.
