Specialised rescue teams, including experts from Eastern Coalfields Limited, worked overnight under hazardous conditions as efforts continued to locate the remaining trapped workers.
Specialised rescue teams carry out overnight search and recovery operations after the death toll in the NHPC Teesta Stage VI tunnel accident in Sikkim rose to 22. (IPR via ANI)
The death toll in the tunnel accident at the NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim’s Namchi district has risen to 22 after nine more bodies were recovered during overnight rescue operations, officials said on Thursday.
Search and recovery efforts continued through the night as multiple agencies intensified operations inside the under-construction tunnel to locate the remaining trapped workers.
Advertisement
Officials said the bodies of 22 workers have now been recovered. Around 10 pm on Wednesday, a second rescue team from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), Asansol, reached the site and joined the operation immediately. Rescue personnel worked until midnight despite difficult conditions inside the tunnel.
Advertisement
Authorities said specialised teams remain engaged in the operation in coordination with various emergency response agencies. The state government, district administration and other agencies are continuing to monitor the situation while providing assistance to the affected families and rescue personnel.
NHPC tunnel collapse site in Namchi (Sikkim) | A total of 22 bodies have been recovered as of now. Search and rescue operations are underway at the spot.
(Photos: IPR) https://t.co/gijeC1vWuR pic.twitter.com/JqVkKD6WRa
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2026
Rescue work had resumed on Wednesday after being temporarily suspended due to a large accumulation of mud and water inside the tunnel, which hampered access and recovery efforts.
With conditions improving, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), coal mining experts from Asansol and other emergency teams re-entered the tunnel and resumed search operations.
Officials said rescue teams continue to work under hazardous conditions to locate and recover those still trapped.
On Tuesday, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced financial assistance for the victims and said a detailed inquiry would be be conducted into the incident.
He said strict action would be taken if any negligence by the executing company is found during the investigation. The Chief Minister also said the state administration had mobilised multiple rescue agencies immediately after the accident.
According to NHPC officials, the accident took place on July 20 inside the under-construction Head Race Tunnel at Samardung.
Preliminary information indicates that a sudden burst of suspected methane gas trapped within rock formations triggered an explosion, filling the tunnel with dense fumes and toxic gases, leading to the tragedy.
Inputs from ANI
Advertisement
