What you need to know
- Seven workers have died in Uttarakhand after a landslide sent water and debris gushing into an under-construction tunnel.
- Rescuers are trying to reach three workers still trapped inside.
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the site on Friday.
Here are the latest developments from India on Friday, August 14:
Seven killed in Uttarakhand tunnel mishap, three missing
At least seven workers have died in a tunnel collapse in the northern Indian hill state of Uttarakhand, officials said on Friday, adding that a search was underway for three missing people.
The incident occurred overnight when a landslide sent water and debris streaming into an under-construction tunnel belonging to Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) in Pipalkoti, in Chamoli district.
According to officials, 22 workers were inside the tunnel at the time of the disaster.
The injured are undergoing treatment.
A multi-agency effort is underway to reach the three workers still trapped inside the tunnel, with teams from the National and State Disaster Response Forces, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and fire services at the site.
Rescuers are battling rising water and debris during the search, as the state has seen heavy rainfall in recent days.
Visuals circulated by local authorities show rescue teams wearing head-mounted torches and using makeshift rafts to reach the flooded section of the tunnel.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the collapse site on Friday morning and reviewed the rescue operations.
"Evacuating every worker safely is our topmost priority," Dhami said in a statement.
In 2023, a tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand left 41 workers trapped for 17 days before they were rescued.
Welcome to our coverage
This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's studio in New Delhi, bringing you our daily news capsule with the biggest developments making headlines in India.
A tunnel accident in the northern state of Uttarakhand has left at least seven workers dead. A frantic search is underway for three missing workers as heavy monsoon rains batter the region.
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Stay tuned as we bring you more.