Reports of a tunnel collapse in India state that 28 workers have died and nine more have been hospitalised.
The tragedy occurred in the Himalayas as part of the works for the Tehri Hydro Development Project. On 2 August, workers were trapped when debris fell on them whilst they were believed to be working on Tunnel 3 of the scheme. Reinforcement and guniting work was underway when accumulated water from heavy rainfall is said to have dislodged debris. Rescue operations got underway using equipment of the Jaypee company that was onsite.
Initial reports claimed 50 men were in the tunnel when landslides occurred resulting in 13 workers getting trapped in the tunnel. By Wednesday, these figures had been revised to 28 dead, with 25 bodies recovered and three further bodies sighted in the debris with work underway to extract them. Talking to the press, officials said the exact death toll will not be known until all of the debris is cleared, which would imply no tally system was in use for emergency situations.
An inquiry is being launched into the exact cause of the accident. The Tehri dam scheme has previously been the focus of intense debate, not least because of its siting in an area of high seismic activity that some felt posed a danger to its integrity.