Overview
- A landslide-driven surge of water and debris entered the under‑construction THDC Vishnugad‑Pipalkoti tail‑race tunnel on Thursday evening, trapping 22 workers inside.
- Rescue teams from the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, the Army and local agencies waded through chest‑deep water using pumps, excavators and improvised drum rafts to evacuate 19 workers overnight.
- Officials confirmed seven workers dead and 12 injured who are receiving treatment at hospitals in Gopeshwar and Srinagar while three workers remain unaccounted for and are believed trapped inside the flooded section.
- Operations continue with multiple high‑capacity pumps and heavy machinery but persistent rain, thick sludge and near‑zero underwater visibility are making manual searches slow and hazardous.
- The tunnel was being built by Hindustan Construction Company for THDC, and the accident has renewed scrutiny of worker safety and emergency planning for tunnel projects in the geologically fragile Himalaya.