Death toll rises to 20 after blast and tunnel collapse at hydroelectric project in Sikkim

Rescuers in India's northeastern state of Sikkim are continuing efforts at a collapsed tunnel at an under-construction hydroelectric project after a gas explosion killed at least 20 workers. The incident took place at a 500-megawatt project being built for the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, according to officials involved in the response. Authorities said 25 workers were trapped when the tunnel gave way, and the latest figures indicate that 13 bodies have been recovered so far.

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Rajiv Roka, director of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, said rescuers had also seen seven to eight more bodies inside the tunnel but had not yet been able to retrieve them. He said flooding inside the tunnel and methane gas leaking from underground rock formations were making the operation extremely difficult. Roka added that, given the conditions, he did not think there could be any survivors.

The region has also been affected by torrential monsoon rains in recent days, adding to the challenge for emergency teams. The project operator said the collapse was triggered by an explosive release of suspected methane gas trapped in the rocks, which generated dense smoke and toxic gases. It said a detailed investigation would be carried out.

The combination of waterlogging, gas leakage and unstable underground conditions has slowed recovery work and raised concerns about the safety of tunnelling in the Himalayan region. The incident has also drawn attention to the risks faced by workers on large infrastructure projects in ecologically fragile terrain. Sikkim lies in a seismically active part of the eastern Himalayas, where steep slopes and unstable rock formations can make underground construction especially hazardous.

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Environmental experts have warned that a rise in development projects in the region has been linked to more disasters of this kind. The latest collapse adds to wider concerns about how major energy and transport schemes are managed in difficult mountain conditions, especially during the monsoon season when landslides, flooding and ground instability can worsen. Accidents at large infrastructure sites are not uncommon in India, but the scale of the loss in this case has made the rescue effort a major local emergency.

The hydroelectric project is state-owned, which places the response under close public scrutiny. The recovery operation is being carried out in a remote area, where access and weather conditions can complicate the work of emergency teams. What remains unclear is whether any trapped workers are still alive and how long it will take to recover the remaining bodies.

Officials have said a detailed investigation will follow, but no findings have yet been released. The next developments to watch are the pace of the recovery operation, any confirmation of the final death toll and the outcome of the inquiry into the gas release and tunnel collapse.

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