Samardung, India. Nine people were killed and more than 15 were feared trapped after a suspected gas blast in a tunnel being built for a hydroelectric project in India’s northeastern state of Sikkim, officials said on Tuesday.
Incident at Teesta river project
The blast occurred on Monday at state-owned power company NHPC’s project on the Teesta river in Samardung village, a district official, Subash Ghimirey, told Reuters.
State disaster management official Rajiv Roka said the incident may have been caused by a natural gas blast, although the cause had not been confirmed.
Rescue operation
Nine bodies were recovered from the tunnel, according to officials. Roka said the bodies were charred, indicating that a blast had occurred.
At least 25 project workers and officials were trapped in the tunnel, including the nine whose bodies were recovered, the Sikkim government said in a Facebook post citing information from NHPC.
Rescuers faced difficulty breathing inside the tunnel, complicating efforts to locate those trapped. Roka said the chances of survival for the remaining workers were slim.
Emergency equipment deployed
Photographs posted by the state government showed rescuers in orange hazard suits unloading oxygen cylinders, ropes and other emergency equipment.
An NHPC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.