Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Uttarakhand Tunnel Tragedy: Eight Dead, Two Still Missing
Workers were building a tunnel underground for a hydroelectric project, which makes electricity using water.
Suddenly, a landslide caused water and dirt to rush into the tunnel, filling half of it up quickly.
Twenty-two workers were trapped inside and could not get out.
Rescue teams worked through the night and saved 19 of them.
Sadly, some workers died in the accident.
Officials first said seven workers had died, and later found one more body, making eight.
A few workers were reported missing, and rescuers are still searching for two of them.
The accident happened at Mayapur in Chamoli district, in the state of Uttarakhand in India.
Heavy rain is making the rescue work harder, and teams from agencies like the NDRF are helping pump out the water.
Everyone is hoping the missing workers will be found safe.
Seven workers died when water and debris gushed into an under-construction tunnel following a landslide at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand; the death toll rose to eight on Saturday after another body was found.
The incident occurred on Thursday at approximately 6:20 pm in the Tail Race Tunnel of the project at Mayapur (Pipalkoti), when landslides and subsidence filled half the tunnel with debris and water.
Twenty-two workers were trapped inside the tunnel; 19 were rescued overnight, while the number of missing was reported as three and later reduced to two as search efforts continued.
The eighth deceased worker, identified as Devnath of Chhattisgarh, was earlier listed among the missing, officials said.
Rescue operations by the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP and police are being hampered by continuous rain, while Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flew to Pipalkoti to oversee the efforts.
The tunnel is part of Tehri Hydro Development Corporation India Limited's Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project.
- Who
- Workers trapped inside the tunnel, rescue teams from the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP and police, District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi, and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
- What
- Water and debris from landslides and subsidence flooded an under-construction tunnel at a hydroelectric project site, killing eight workers, with two workers still missing as of Saturday.
- When
- Thursday at approximately 6:20 pm; officials confirmed deaths on Friday and the toll rose to eight on Saturday.
- Where
- Mayapur (Pipalkoti), Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India.
- Why
- Landslides and subsidence caused debris and water to fill half of the tunnel, trapping workers inside.
- Location
- Mayapur (Pipalkoti), Chamoli district, Uttarakhand
- Deaths
- 7 (per Friday reports); rose to 8 on Saturday, per one report
- Missing
- 3 per Friday reports; 2 still missing on Saturday
- Rescued
- 19
- Workers trapped
- 22
- Cause
- Landslides and subsidence filled half the tunnel with debris and water
- Incident time
- Thursday, approximately 6:20 pm
- Project
- Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project, executed by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation India Limited (THDCIL)
- Rescue agencies
- NDRF, SDRF, ITBP and police
