At least seven people were killed and many other injured after water and debris entered a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday, officials said. Three workers are said to be still trapped, and rescuers are trying to reach them, the State Disaster Management Authority said in a statement, adding that 18 workers have so far been rescued.
“This is a deeply tragic incident… Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered rescue and relief operations to be taken up on a war footing. “I spoke to the injured workers admitted to hospital; their condition is stable. I have also informed the chief ministers of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh that their residents, those injured or involved in the incident, are receiving treatment here. It had been raining heavily in the district for the last few days. In a video of the incident, a massive volume of water mixed with mud rushed downstream and slammed into the metal bridge. Within seconds, the sheer force of the water uprooted the bridge and pushed it towards the riverbank.
On Monday, strong currents due to rising water level in a river had swept away a bridge in the district’s Niti Valley region.
The entire administrative team and all my colleagues have arrived, and our priority is to provide continuous support to those engaged in the rescue operations,” local MLA Lakhpat Butola said. Dhami said he is taking real-time updates from senior officers. I have also spoken to the chief medical superintendent,” the chief minister said.
