Seven people were killed after water and debris entered an under-construction tunnel of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) at Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, officials said on Friday.
According to preliminary information, 22 workers were trapped inside the tunnel out of which twenty people were rescued and brought out. Two workers are still trapped and efforts are underway to reach them, the State Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.
Out of the rescued workers, 19 were brought to the District Hospital in Gopeshwar for treatment. Dr Aayush of the hospital said seven people were declared dead at the hospital, while others reached the facility in relatively stable condition. Ten were admitted, while one worker whose condition was considered unstable was referred to the Base Hospital in Srinagar, news agency ANI reported.
"A total of 19 people were brought here from THDC; seven of them have been declared dead at the hospital, while 13 arrived in relatively stable condition. We have admitted 10 of them. One young man, whose condition was somewhat unstable, has been referred to the Base Hospital in Srinagar," Dr Aayush told reporters.
#WATCH | Chamoli, Uttarakhand: District Hospital, Gopeshwar, Dr Aayush says, "A total of 19 people were brought here from THDC; 7 of them have been declared dead at the hospital, while 13 arrived in relatively stable condition. We have admitted 10 of them. One young man, whose… https://t.co/M9ln7N8iy9 pic.twitter.com/Oll0JrnHdm
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2026
The incident took place at the THDC project site in the Pipalkoti area. Construction work at the site is being carried out by the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), PTI reported citing officials.
Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan had earlier told PTI that several workers were trapped after water and debris entered the tunnel of the Pipalkoti hydroelectric project.
Police, SDRF, CISF and other agencies reached the site after the incident. An NDRF team from Rudraprayag was also heading towards Pipalkoti to join the rescue operation. Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Army teams were deployed as well.
NDRF team commander Amrit Lal Meena said a large volume of water had entered the tunnel by the time the rescue team reached the site. Water was also seeping into the tunnel from the sides.
"After our team arrived and started the operation, there was a massive volume of water inside the tunnel. The water level has risen significantly since then. Our personnel, using specialised equipment, have recovered four bodies from the water so far. The rescue operation is still underway and will continue until everyone is retrieved," Meena told ANI on Thursday.
THDC Executive Director (Projects) Kumar Sharad said around 20 to 22 workers were inside the tunnel when the incident occurred. He said NDRF and SDRF teams were deployed for the rescue operation.
District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar also reached the spot for insepction today.
#WATCH | Chamoli, Uttarakhand: District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar reached the spot after water and debris entered the under-construction THDC tunnel at Mayapur (Pipalkoti).
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2026
(Source: Information Department, Chamoli) pic.twitter.com/cExGIVMVTe
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami expressed concern over the incident in a post on X and directed all agencies to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing.
Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, said the situation was being continuously monitored through emergency operation centres. He added that additional teams would be deployed if required.
