Tehri tunnel collapses, 17 dead, 10 hurt

While the Centre has ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident, Uttaranchal Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari has ordered a magisterial inquiry.

‘‘We have ordered a magisterial inquiry. A report in this regard would be submitted within a week’s time,’’ Tiwari said. Former secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, M.S. Reddy will head the three-member Central probe team.

The incident came two days after the entire population of Old Tehri town were evacuated.

District officials said that an entire shift of more than 50 workers of private construction company, Jai Parkash Associates were on night duty when heavy landslides hit the tunnel last night, burying all of them in the debris.

Puneet Kansal, District Magistrate, Tehri, who is supervising the rescue operations jointly launched by the district administration and the private company, confirmed that 13 bodies have been recovered and 10 workers rescued. He added that the exact death toll would only be known after the debris is cleared from the site.

JP Associates has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. Officials said most of the victims hailed from Bihar and Jharkhand.

The water level of the Bhagirathi river, on which the dam is being constructed, has risen suddenly in the last week following heavy rains. Environmentalists have been up in arms against the government on the construction of the dam. Sunder Lal Bahuguna, noted Chipko leader who has been leading the agitation against the project and who was the last to be evacuated, said he had been waging a losing battle against the construction of big dams in the mountains.

‘‘Such accidents are bound to happen and I had been warning everybody who cared to listen about these hazards,’’ Bahuguna told The Indian Express over telephone from Koti village.