Overview
- A powerful underground explosion inside the Teesta Stage‑VI headrace tunnel trapped workers deep underground and rescue teams recovered all 25 bodies after a multi‑day operation.
- Officials have linked the blast to hazardous gases encountered during excavation and have opened a formal investigation to determine cause and safety failings.
- Survivors and labour representatives say workers had complained for months about rotten‑egg smells, intermittent ventilation and the absence of continuous gas monitors at the working face.
- National and state disaster response teams plus specialised mining crews battled unstable ground, heat and toxic air to reach the site and complete the recovery.
- Experts warn the Eastern Himalayas’ fractured geology requires high‑resolution subsurface surveys, continuous gas detection and robust ventilation, and relatives say compensation will not substitute for accountability.