CM Tamang will give compensation to the families of laborers who died in Sikkim Tunnel accident, PM Modi has already announced financial help.
Gangtok. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Tuesday announced ex-gratia for the families of workers killed in the collapse of a construction tunnel in Namchi district. The Chief Minister has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand each to the workers injured in the accident.
The accident took place on Monday in the under-construction tunnel of NHPC’s Teesta Phase-6 hydroelectric project located in the Samardung area of South Sikkim. After the tunnel collapse, about 25 workers including project officials were trapped inside. So far, 11 people have been confirmed dead in the accident, while rescue operations are underway to rescue other trapped workers.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said that a special committee will be formed to investigate the causes of the tunnel accident. According to preliminary information, the accident occurred due to sudden release and explosion of methane gas in the tunnel. Tamang reached the spot on Tuesday and took stock of the relief and rescue operations.
Told that a team expert in mining rescue operations from neighboring state West Bengal has also reached the spot to rescue the trapped workers. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, district administration and other local agencies are jointly engaged in the rescue operation.
At the same time, NHPC said in a statement that on July 20, 2026, at around 1:04 pm, suspicious methane gas trapped in the rocks inside the under-construction Head Race Tunnel (HRT) of Teesta Phase-6 project suddenly came out, causing an explosion. After this, dense smoke and poisonous gas spread in the tunnel, due to which this tragic accident occurred. The administration has said that the rescue work is going on at full speed and all necessary resources are being used to safely rescue the people trapped in the tunnel.
Comments are closed.