The accident, which occurred in the under-construction tunnel of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC), is said to be horrifyingMany workers present in the tunnel at the time were rescued alive.
Updated: August 14, 2026, 1:17 PM IST
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‘Water came in like a dam burst…’ Worker who survived Chamoli tunnel accident described horrific scene inside (PTI)
Panic erupted inside a tunnel under construction in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, when a sudden, loud noise of water and debris entered the tunnelWithin moments, the workers were left without a chance to recoverSome escaped by running for their lives, while others were injured by the debris and waterThis accident occurred in the under-construction tunnel of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC)It is reported that a total of 22 workers were present in the tunnel at the time of the accidentIn the overnight rescue and relief operation, 19 people were pulled outThis includes 12 injured and seven dead, while three people are still missingThe workers who survived the incident and were inside the tunnel recounted the horrific sceneTheir stories are truly chilling.
‘Situation was very dangerous, there was no chance to recover’
Jageshwar Gaur, the worker who came out safely from the tunnel, described the situation at that time in a conversationAccording to him, suddenly a very strong wind blew inside the tunnel, as if a storm had struckThe situation developed so suddenly that no one got a chance to recoverJageshwar told that he was on the top at that timeAs soon as the situation worsened, he ran outside and informed the foreman present thereAfter this, the foreman and others went inside to rescue the seriously injured workersHe told that some people are still trapped inside the tunnel.
Jageshwar explained that work was underway inside the tunnel at the time of the accidentRebar and gantries were being usedThe workers were busy as usual, but this sudden disaster changed everything.
Another injured worker inside the tunnel said that the water suddenly poured in with great force, bringing debris with it, and collapsing part of the tunnelThe worker said he suffered injuries to his hands and legsHis words and the fear on his face gave an idea of the speed with which the water must have entered the tunnelAccording to him, the water came in as if a large dam had suddenly burst.
Suddenly, water came and raw debris came
Meanwhile, another injured worker from Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, was also safely pulled out of the tunnelRecalling the moment of the accident, he said, “Suddenly, there was chaosSuddenly, water came and with it, raw debris also came into the tunnelIt was all so sudden for them that they did not have time to recoverWhere the workers had been working just a short while ago, suddenly the water and debris blocked the way.”
According to the State Emergency Operations Center, seven people died and 12 were injured in the accidentThree people are still missing and the search is ongoingThe deceased have been identified as Pradeep Panwar (31), a resident of Tehri Garhwal, Mukesh Singh, a resident of Chamoli, Durga Sharma, Vijay Hansda, and Jitendra Kumar, all from Uttar Pradesh, and Lokeshwar and Bhuneshwar, all from Chhattisgarh.
