Chamoli Tunnel Accident Uttarakhand: News of a major accident has come to light from Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Thursday evening. Suddenly water and debris entered the tunnel under construction of hydropower project of Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) in Pipalkoti. Due to this, many laborers working in the tunnel got trapped inside. Relief and rescue operations are continuing.
So far, 16 laborers have been evacuated safely, while teams of administration, police, SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, army and other agencies are on the spot to rescue the remaining people trapped inside.
What time did the accident happen?
According to the information, the accident happened at around 6:30 pm. At that time many laborers were working inside the tunnel. Suddenly, with a strong current, water and debris reached the tunnel. Due to the strong flow of water, some workers were swept away outside the tunnel, while some got trapped inside.
As soon as information about the accident was received, teams of local administration and police reached the spot. According to Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar, about 14-15 laborers have been taken out safely so far, while the search for the remaining people is going on.
Ambulance sent to the spot
To speed up the rescue operation, NDRF and SDRF teams are trying to reach the workers trapped inside the tunnel by removing the debris. Ambulances have also been sent to the spot, so that the evacuated workers can get immediate treatment if needed.
Treatment of injured going on in District Hospital Chamoli
The rescued injured laborers are being treated in the district hospital Chamoli. According to doctors, out of the five people brought to the hospital, the condition of two was serious and efforts are being made to stabilize them, while the workers with minor injuries are being X-rayed.
According to Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar, police and relief teams have been sent to the spot. The priority of the administration is to get all the workers trapped in the tunnel out safely as soon as possible.
CM Dhami reviewed the situation of the incident
After receiving information about the accident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has given instructions to carry out rescue and relief work on a war footing. The Chief Minister has said that he is constantly taking information about the situation from senior officials and is keeping an eye on the entire incident. CM reached Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority located in IT Park, Dehradun and reviewed the situation of the incident of water and debris entering the THDC tunnel in Pipalkoti, Chamoli.
At present, the entire focus of the rescue teams is on safely reaching the workers trapped inside the tunnel and getting them out. The administration hopes that in the coming few hours, the remaining workers can also be traced and taken out safely.
What did Badrinath MLA Lakhpat Butola say?
Regarding the accident that took place in the THDC tunnel located at Pipalkoti, Badrinath MLA Lakhpat Butola has described it as a very tragic incident. He said that according to information received from company officials, about 28 laborers were working in the tunnel at around 6:30 pm. Of these, 20-21 workers somehow managed to get out, while about 7-8 workers are still trapped inside the tunnel. The MLA said that the entire administrative staff and their associates have reached the spot. At present, the priority is to provide all possible support to the teams engaged in the rescue operation and to safely rescue the workers trapped in the tunnel.
Lakhpat Butola also raised serious questions on this accident. He said that a similar incident had come to light at the same place last year also. Despite this, if such a situation arises again then it is a matter of serious concern and the entire matter should be thoroughly investigated.