"Rescue will continue till end": Uttarakhand Minister Kaushik on Chamoli tunnel incident as search for 2 workers continues

Chamoli: Uttarakhand Disaster Management Minister Madan Kaushik on Saturday visited the THDC tunnel accident site in Chamoli to assess the ongoing rescue operation, saying teams of the NDRF, SDRF and local police are working continuously to trace the two workers still missing.

Kaushik said one of the three missing workers was found on Saturday but was declared dead at the hospital, while the search for the remaining two workers is underway.

"Seven bodies were recovered yesterday, and three people were missing; one of them was found today. Our rescue operation is currently ongoing. Teams from the NDRF, SDRF, and local police are working on the ground, and this operation will continue until it is fully concluded," Kaushik told ANI.


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He said the rescue operation was facing difficulties due to the water level inside the tunnel, adding that teams had so far managed to reach only a few hundred metres from the point where the incident occurred.

"There are difficulties in the work; the water flow, while not extremely rapid, is still significant. We are told that the water level inside is still around a meter or more," the Minister said.

"So far, our team has only managed to inspect the 'zero point', the origin of the incident. We have only penetrated a few hundred meters, perhaps 200, 300, or 400 meters, into the area. It might take another day or two to advance further, but the rescue operation will continue," he added.

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said the search for the remaining two workers was continuing without a break.

"Regarding the rescue situation, three workers were missing. One of them was brought out today but was declared dead at the hospital. The search for the remaining two workers is still underway, and the operation is continuing without a break," Kumar told ANI.

He added that Kaushik also met workers protesting at the site and discussed issues related to safety standards and compensation.

Read more: Chamoli Tunnel Tragedy: 7 dead, 3 missing as rescue ops continue

"The discussion focused primarily on two issues: an inquiry into safety standards and the matter of compensation. The Minister assured that inquiries would be conducted into both, specifically, a magisterial inquiry and a technical investigation by the Government of India. He also stated that all possible assistance regarding compensation would be provided," the DM said.

The death toll in the Pipalkoti tunnel accident rose to eight on Saturday after rescue teams recovered another body from the under-construction THDC tunnel. Two workers remain missing.

Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident and said the safety of personnel working on construction projects must be the "top priority at any cost".

The Chief Minister said the inquiry would establish the facts and determine the precautions required to prevent such incidents in the future.

Congress leader Harikrishna Bhatt, meanwhile, called for safety audits of ongoing projects, saying such audits should have been conducted after water and debris entered the tunnel.

"Regarding the announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh, a human life cannot be valued at merely Rs 4 lakh. Safety audits should have been conducted for all such ongoing projects," Bhatt told ANI.

The incident occurred after a landslide-like event near the Birhi River triggered a heavy surge of water and debris into the tunnel, trapping workers inside.

Rescue operations are being carried out by the NDRF, SDRF, District Disaster Response Force (DDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Army and other agencies. High water levels and accumulated sludge inside the tunnel have hampered the operation.

Authorities said pumps brought in from NTPC and THDC helped lower the water level inside the tunnel, allowing rescue teams to make further progress.