Gangtok, July 21 (). Around 27 people are feared trapped in a landslide and subsequent methane gas leak inside the under-construction Samardung Tunnel in the southern district of Sikkim. Following the incident that occurred on Monday afternoon, teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Sikkim Police and fire and emergency services are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing.
This accident happened at around 3:09 pm in Samardung Tunnel located in Mamaring. This tunnel is being built by Patel Engineering under the Teesta Stage-6 Hydroelectric Project.
According to preliminary information, a sudden landslide occurred inside the tunnel, blocking the way and trapping many workers inside. The situation became more serious when methane gas started leaking inside the tunnel, making it extremely risky for rescue workers to enter.
Namchi District Collector Anupa Tamling said that as soon as information about the incident was received, NDRF teams and SDRF deployed in Siliguri and Pakyong were immediately alerted.
“The incident occurred around 3:09 pm. We informed the NDRF and SDRF teams when we reached Samardung. The fire department and police personnel tried to enter the tunnel twice without special safety equipment, but due to the dangerous conditions inside, they could not reach the trapped people,” he said.
Tamling said that the rescue operation has become extremely challenging due to the very high amount of methane gas inside the tunnel. The first NDRF team safely evacuated the firefighters who had gone inside after the incident. After this the second NDRF team entered the tunnel and the rescue operation is going on.
According to officials, the gas level is so high that rescue workers have not yet been able to reach the spot where the workers are feared trapped. Many rescue workers had to turn back before they could establish contact inside.
The administration has not yet been able to ascertain the exact cause of the landslide. The District Collector said that some workers who managed to get out of the tunnel said that they had heard a loud sound like an explosion from inside, after which they immediately ran out. However, many other workers are still trapped inside the tunnel.
The final confirmation regarding the number of stranded people has not been made yet. Tamling said, “According to preliminary information, about 19 workers were trapped inside. Later, three employees of Patel Engineering went into the tunnel for rescue, out of which two also got trapped inside. With this, a total of 21 people of the company are feared to be inside. Apart from this, six employees of NHPC are also said to be inside the tunnel, taking the total number to 27. The actual number may be less or more than this.”
He said the situation inside could not be confirmed until the NDRF team reaches the exact location of the trapped people.
The district administration has clarified that their first and foremost priority is to safely rescue all the people trapped inside the tunnel.
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AMT/ABM
