Namchi, Jul 22 (PTI): The body of one more worker was recovered from the under-construction NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project tunnel in Sikkim’s Namchi district on Wednesday, taking the number of bodies retrieved so far to 13, officials said.
Twenty workers were killed after the tunnel collapsed following an explosion suspected to have been caused by methane gas.
Earlier in the day, search and rescue operations resumed after being temporarily suspended due to the accumulation of mud and water inside the tunnel, officials said. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Asansol rescue team resumed operations early in the day, with efforts focused on pumping water out of the tunnel, they said.
Rescue teams continue to carry out intensive search and recovery operations under extremely challenging conditions, with sustained efforts focused on locating and retrieving the remaining trapped persons. According to an NHPC statement, a sudden burst of suspected methane gas trapped/embedded inside the rocks led to the explosion, generating dense fumes and toxic gases.
Medical teams and ambulances remained stationed at the site to provide emergency assistance to rescue personnel, officials said.
Meanwhile, the NHPC on Wednesday announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each person who died in the accident. “NHPC will provide an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased in this unfortunate incident,” the company said in a statement. Expressing profound grief over the loss of lives, the corporation conveyed its condolences to the bereaved families.
It said round-the-clock rescue operations were continuing at the under-construction tunnel in coordination with the district administration, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), NHPC, Patel Engineering Limited (PEL), Eastern Coalfields Limited, Western Coalfields Limited, local authorities and other agencies.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin of each of those workers who died in the accident and Rs 50,000 for every injured person.
The PM also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for each of the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured persons.
