At least 20 workers were killed and five others remained trapped for over 24 hours after a tunnel under construction collapsed in Sikkim's Namchi district following an explosion of suspected methane gas.
GANGTOK — At least 20 workers were killed and five others remained trapped for over 24 hours after a tunnel under construction collapsed in Sikkim's Namchi district following an explosion of suspected methane gas, a police officer said on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced INR 4 lakh as ex-gratia for the next of kin of each of those workers who died in the collapse of the NHPC tunnel and INR50,000 for every injured person.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the chief minister and took stock of the situation, besides assuring him of all help from the central government.
The PM also announced an ex-gratia of INR2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and INR 50,000 each to the injured persons.
As many as 25 workers, including a few project officers, had been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel of the NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project at Samardung shortly after 1 pm on Monday.
"Out of those 25 trapped inside the tunnel, 20 are confirmed dead," Namchi Superintendent of Police (SP) Sonam D Bhutia said.
She said that bodies of 12 have been recovered during the rescue and search operations being carried out by multiple agencies.
Seven bodies have so far been identified, and efforts are underway to do so for the other bodies.
According to an NHPC statement, a sudden burst of suspected methane gas trapped/embedded inside the rocks led to the explosion, generating dense fumes and toxic gases.
The chief minister announced that a special committee will be constituted to find out the cause of the methane gas blast which led to the collapse of the tunnel.
Tamang, who reached the mishap site earlier in the day, told reporters that a special mining rescue team from neighbouring West Bengal has arrived at the site to assist in the ongoing search operations for the workers trapped inside the tunnel.
Earlier in the day, Governor Om Prakash Mathur and the CM visited the incident site to assess the situation.
They interacted with the officials on the ground and directed that every possible measure be taken to ensure the best medical care and support for the injured workers.
They directed NHPC Chairman and Managing Director Bhupender Gupta to ensure that compensation is disbursed to the victims at the earliest.
The governor and the CM directed the Namchi district administration to establish a dedicated mechanism at Rangpo for the identification of the deceased and to ensure that all support is extended to the affected families, particularly those from other states, during this difficult time.
The Sikkim Assembly observed a two-minute silence to mourn the death of the workers in the tunnel collapse.
The CM informed the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to him regarding the incident.
He said he had apprised them of the ongoing rescue operations, while Modi and Shah assured him of all assistance from the Government of India.
Chief Secretary Ravindra Telang chaired a high-level review meeting in Namchi in the presence of the Director General of Police Akshay Sachdeva to assess the progress of the ongoing search and rescue operations at the project.
The meeting was attended by the District Administration, rescue agencies, officials from the West Bengal Administration, NHPC Ltd, and Patel Engineering Ltd which is executing the civil construction works for the tunnel.
The chief secretary directed all agencies to take every necessary step to establish the identity of the deceased workers.
Telang also reviewed the rescue strategy in detail, stressing that the available oxygen supply must be utilised judiciously to ensure the safe, efficient, and uninterrupted continuation of the operation.