Explosion in tunnel at Indian hydropower project leaves 11 dead, 14 missing

GUWAHATI, India — A suspected gas explosion on Monday triggered a collapse inside a tunnel that was under construction at a hydropower project in India’s northeastern Himalayan state of Sikkim, leaving at least 11 people dead and 14 missing, officials said on Tuesday.State Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, who visited the disaster site near the Chinese border, said the explosion was triggered by a build-up of methane gas.At least 27 people were trapped, including some who entered the tunnel to help with rescue efforts after the blast, while two workers escaped, Tamang said.The blast ripped through the tunnel at Samardung village, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the state capital, Gangtok, where multiple workers were carrying out construction work on the 500-megawatt Teesta hydroelectric project, civil official Anupama Tamling said.Survivors told authorities they heard a loud explosion before debris came crashing through the tunnel, trapping dozens inside, Tamling said.Officials had recovered 11 bodies on Tuesday while rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), raced to reach at least 14 people who remained trapped inside the tunnel, where toxic gases and hazardous conditions have hampered operations.“We found toxic gases such as methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide inside the tunnel,” NDRF official Nitin Kumar said at the scene, adding that rescuers were using breathing equipment as they searched for survivors in the dangerous air conditions.As news of the accident spread, six officials from the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), which is building the project, entered the tunnel to assist in rescue efforts but became trapped themselves, officials said.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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