Early reports are indicating at least 20 workers have been trapped inside a 1.5km long tunnel by flash floods and landslides in India.
They were working on the Parvathi Hydroelectric Power Project at Barshani when the incident occurred at midnight on Saturday 7 August. A cloudburst is said to have triggered flash floods that in turn caused landslides, which blocked the exit with silt and boulders.
Reports in the Indian press said the regional administration only learned of the situation in the early hours of this morning and immediately organised rescue operations. At the current time, the conditions inside the tunnel and fate of the trapped labourers, who worked for the Patel Engineering Company, are not known.
On a related note, the Chinese government has informed India that a dam in Tibet is likely to burst within the next 24 hours, which has forced an alert to be issued for flash floods due to the heavy rainfall being experienced in the region.
Meanwhile monitoring is ongoing using satellite Imagery and information relayed from Beijing said local press sources.
