The bodies of all 25 workers killed after a tunnel under construction collapsed in Sikkim state’s Namche district after a suspected methane explosion, putting an end to a search and rescue operation that lasted about 96 hours, officials familiar with the matter said.
The workers were trapped inside Adit-3, part of a 15-km-long tunnel of the Teesta Hydropower Phase VI project of the National Hydropower Corporation Limited (NHPC) that connects the barrage at Sirwani to the power station at Tarkhola in south Sikkim. The incident occurred around one o’clock in the afternoon on Monday.
Read also | Toxic gases slow rescue operations in South Sikkim tunnel explosion, death toll reaches 15
“The four-day search and rescue operation in the under-construction tunnel of the Teesta Phase VI Hydropower Project of the National Hydropower Corporation Limited (NHPC) at Samardong in Namche district concluded on Thursday after sustained and coordinated efforts by multiple rescue agencies,” the Sikkim government said in a statement.
According to officials, 22 bodies had been recovered as of Wednesday evening. He added: “Three more bodies were recovered during Thursday’s operation, bringing the total number of dead recovered to 25. Rescue teams then conducted a comprehensive examination of the tunnel and, after counting all registered missing workers, confirmed that no one remained trapped inside.”
Read also | Tunnel collapse: Bengal Chief Minister talks to his Sikkim counterpart and offers assistance
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) and specialized rescue teams from West Bengal’s coal mining belt have been pressed into action.
The bodies were sent to hospitals in Singtam, Gangtok and Namche for medico-legal procedures, officials said.
Read also | Landslides in Sikkim: Several dead in Teesta Hydel Project tunnel
The Sikkim government has formed a high-level committee to investigate the incident.
