At least seven workers were killed and 13 injured following a landslide that sent water and debris gushing into a tunnel under construction in north India, officials said Friday.
The incident occurred late Thursday in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, where workers were constructing a tunnel for a state-run hydropower project.
At least three workers are still missing, while 19 were rescued from the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation site, the State Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.
Videos shared by local authorities showed rescue workers equipped with head-mounted torches using makeshift rafts to reach the flooded section of the tunnel.
Uttarakhand has been battered by heavy monsoon rains in recent days.
Accidents on large construction sites are common in India, but ecologists say excessive development projects have led to more disasters in the fragile Himalayan areas.
Last month, 20 people working in a tunnel for another state-run hydroelectric project were killed in the remote northeastern state of Sikkim.
In 2023, 41 workers were rescued after being trapped for 17 days inside a tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand.
Hundreds of people have been killed in floods and landslides across the country since the start of the annual monsoon season in June.
Experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing the frequency, severity, and impact of the disasters.
AFP
Source: punchng.com
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