At least seven workers were killed and 13 others injured in an accident at a construction site in northern India, according to local authorities.
The incident occurred late Thursday night when water and mud suddenly rushed into a tunnel at a state-run hydropower project in Uttarakhand, a mountainous region in northern India, following a landslide. Many workers were trapped inside.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a “war-like” rescue operation was underway to bring the remaining trapped workers to safety. India's State Disaster Management Authority confirmed that three workers were still missing.
“Our top priority is the safe evacuation of every worker,” Dhami wrote on social media.
Footage released by local authorities showed rescue workers wearing headlamps using makeshift rafts to reach flooded sections inside the tunnel. Amrit Lal Meena, commander of the national rapid response team, described the scene: “When our team reached the site and began operations, there was a lot of water inside the tunnel, and water was still seeping from the walls. Since then, the water level has risen considerably.”
Uttarakhand has been experiencing heavy monsoon rains in recent days. Accidents at major construction sites are common in India, but environmentalists argue that excessive development has increased the frequency of disasters in the fragile Himalayan region.
Last month, 20 workers in a tunnel at another state-run hydropower project died in the remote northeastern state of Sikkim. In 2023, 41 workers were rescued after being trapped for 17 days inside a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand.
Hundreds of people have been killed in floods and landslides across the country since the monsoon season began in June. Experts say climate change, combined with unplanned development, is increasing the frequency, severity, and impact of such disasters.
