Namchi: Rescuers have confirmed that the bodies of all 25 persons killed in Monday’s devastating tunnel collapse in Sikkim’s Namchi have been recovered.
Anish Mohan (43), a geologist and manager of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd was among those killed in the accident that followed a suspected methane gas explosion.
Mohan was part of a team assessing rock hardness and water content in crevices when the collapse took place. His body has been sent back home to Kerala.
The recovery of the bodies brings to an end a 96-hour search and rescue operation, officials said.
The workers were trapped inside Adit-3, a section of the 15-km-long tunnel of NHPC’s Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project connecting the barrage at Sirwani with the powerhouse at Tarkhola in South Sikkim. The incident took place around 1 pm on Monday, Hindustan Times reported.
“The four-day search and rescue operation at the under-construction tunnel of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project at Samardung in Namchi district, was concluded on Thursday following sustained and coordinated efforts by multiple rescue agencies,” the Sikkim government said in a statement.
While 22 bodies had been recovered by Wednesday night, three more were brought out during Thursday’s operation.
“Rescue teams subsequently carried out a comprehensive inspection of the tunnel and, after accounting for all recorded missing workers, confirmed that no one remained trapped inside,” the government added.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) and specialised rescue teams from West Bengal’s coal mining belt were pressed into action.
Officials said the bodies were sent to hospitals in Singtam, Gangtok and Namchi for medico-legal procedures.
A high-level committee has been set up by the Sikkim government to probe the incident.