At least three workers are feared trapped inside an under-construction tunnel at a hydroelectric project site in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district after water and debris entered the tunnel on Thursday evening. Sixteen workers have been rescued, officials said.

The incident occurred at the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) Limited's project site in the Pipalkoti area. Construction work at the site is being carried out by the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC).

18–19 Workers Were Trapped

According to information released by the Uttarakhand government, around 18 to 19 workers were inside the tunnel when water and debris suddenly entered at around 7 pm.

Rescue teams initially managed to bring out eight workers. Another eight workers were subsequently rescued, taking the total number of people brought out safely to 16.

Officials said some of the rescued workers suffered minor injuries, but their condition was reported to be stable.

Rescue Operation Underway

A large-scale rescue operation has been launched to locate and evacuate the remaining workers.

Teams from the Uttarakhand Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other agencies reached the site shortly after receiving information about the incident.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Rudraprayag has also been sent to Pipalkoti. Teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Army have been deployed to assist in the operation.

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar reached the site and is overseeing the rescue efforts.

CM Dhami Orders Swift Action

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern over the incident and directed officials to conduct rescue and relief operations on a priority basis.

Dhami said the government's foremost objective was to ensure the safe evacuation of every worker still believed to be inside the tunnel.

The chief minister said he was receiving real-time updates on the rescue operation and instructed the concerned agencies to work with urgency.

Chief Secretary Reviews Situation

Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan said the administration had received information that several workers were trapped after water and debris entered the tunnel.

Officials are coordinating the response through multiple agencies as rescue personnel work to reach the remaining workers.

Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, said the situation was being continuously monitored through emergency operation centres.

He added that additional teams would be deployed if required.

Focus on Safe Evacuation

The priority for rescuers is to establish access to the section of the tunnel where the remaining workers are believed to be trapped and safely bring them out.

Authorities have not yet released detailed information about the exact cause of the sudden water and debris flow.

The incident has prompted the mobilisation of multiple disaster-response and security agencies as the rescue operation continues at the Pipalkoti project site.