Tunnel collapses at Indian hydropower project in Uttarakhand, killing at least seven

What happened at the site

Rescue teams from India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were dispatched to the site and began searching for those trapped. NDRF commander Amrit Lal Meena described the conditions faced by his team, saying: "When our team reached the site and started the operation, there was a lot of water inside the tunnel and water was also seeping from the sides. Since then, the water level has increased considerably."

Officials confirmed that at least seven workers had died in the incident. Authorities did not immediately provide a figure for the number of people still unaccounted for, and rescue work continued through the day as crews attempted to pump water out of the tunnel and reach any survivors.

Chamoli district sits in a region that has been the site of repeated disasters linked to Himalayan geology and heavy infrastructure development. The terrain is prone to landslides, flash floods and subsidence, and the construction of large hydropower projects in the area has drawn scrutiny from environmental groups and local communities for years.

Rescue operation and conditions

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the state government was monitoring the situation closely and had directed officials to coordinate with central agencies. He expressed condolences to the families of the dead and said relief efforts were being prioritised.

The NDRF said pumping equipment and additional rescue personnel were being mobilised to deal with the rising water. Diversion of the inflow was being attempted to bring down the level inside the tunnel, a step rescue commanders described as essential before any further search of the deeper sections could be carried out.

Gauriv Kumar, an official involved in coordinating the response, said teams were working in shifts and that communication lines with workers believed to be trapped had not yet been established. He cautioned that conditions inside the tunnel remained unstable.

The tunnel is part of a hydropower project being built in a region that has experienced multiple fatal disasters in recent years, including a 2021 flash flood in Chamoli that killed more than 200 people and a 2013 flood disaster in neighbouring Kedarnath that killed thousands. Critics have repeatedly warned that large dam and tunnel projects in fragile mountain zones increase the risk to workers and downstream communities.

A history of Himalayan disasters

Officials said an inquiry would be carried out into the cause of the collapse once the rescue phase was complete. Safety audits of other tunnels under construction in the state were also being reviewed, according to statements from state authorities.

Rescue operations were expected to continue overnight, with the NDRF warning that the timeline for reaching any remaining trapped workers was uncertain because of the water and the instability of the debris. Families of the missing have gathered near the site awaiting news.

The federal government was briefed on the situation, and additional technical resources were being dispatched from neighbouring states to assist the local administration. Hospital teams have been placed on standby in case any survivors are extracted.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said in a brief statement that the situation was being closely watched and that all possible assistance was being provided to the state. Condolences were also offered by opposition leaders, who urged a thorough investigation into safety standards at the project.