7 dead, 13 injured as landslide, water flood tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli

According to PTI, 22 workers were trapped in the tunnel when the incident occurred at the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) Limited’s hydroelectric project site in the Pipalkoti area. Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) was carrying out the construction work, the officials said.

𝐔𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝟏𝟒 𝐈𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐢

Six people have died and 14 sustained injuries after a landslide and water seepage occurred in an under-construction tunnel at a hydroelectric project site in Chamoli… pic.twitter.com/0s8c76saBN

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 14, 2026

Out of the twenty people who could be brought out of it, seven were declared dead. The remaining 14 sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital.

No information was immediately available about the remaining two workers.

#WATCH | Chamoli, Uttarakhand: Rescue operation underway after debris and water entered the under-construction tunnel of Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) at Pipalkoti.

Team commander, NDRF, Amrit Lal Meena, says, “When our team arrived and commenced operations,… pic.twitter.com/WjNTlEoQtE

— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2026

Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan earlier said several workers were trapped after water and debris gushed in, PTI reported.

Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other agencies were pressed into service.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Rudraprayag was on its way to Pipalkoti to join the operations. Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Army teams also rushed to the spot. District Magistrate (DM) Gaurav Kumar reached the spot to oversee the operation, officials said.

Chief Minister Dhami, in an X post, expressed concern over the incident. He also directed all agencies to engage in relief and rescue operations on a war footing.

Secretary of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, Vinod Kumar Suman, said the situation is being monitored from emergency operation centres and additional teams will be deployed if the need arises.