Death toll from blast at Indian hydroelectric project rises to 20 people
A methane gas explosion at a hydroelectric project under construction in India's Sikkim state has killed at least 20 workers, with 13 bodies recovered and seven to eight more seen but not yet retrieved. Rescue efforts are hampered by waterlogging, toxic gas, and monsoon flooding.
A catastrophic accident at a 500-megawatt hydroelectric facility in Sikkim has resulted in significant loss of life. The state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation's project experienced a tunnel collapse triggered by an explosive release of methane gas trapped in rock formations, generating dense smoke and toxic gases that killed at least 20 of the 25 workers trapped underground.
Recovery operations have proven extremely challenging due to multiple environmental factors. The collapsed tunnel is waterlogged, and methane continues to leak from underground rock formations, making it unlikely that any remaining trapped workers survived. Heavy monsoon rains in the region have further complicated rescue efforts and body retrieval operations. According to Rajiv Roka, director of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, 13 bodies have been recovered while seven to eight additional bodies remain visible but unretrieved within the tunnel.
The incident reflects broader safety concerns in India's infrastructure development sector. Environmental experts note that the surge in development projects has triggered more disasters in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region, where seismic activity and unstable rock formations make tunnelling particularly hazardous. The accident follows a 2023 incident in Uttarakhand where 41 workers were rescued after being trapped for 17 days in a collapsed road tunnel.
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