Death Toll in Sikkim NHPC Tunnel Collapse Rises to 22

The bodies of 22 workers have been retrieved from the NHPC hydropower project tunnel under construction in Sikkim's Namchi district, officials said on Thursday.

Twenty-five workers were inside the under-construction NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project tunnel, which collapsed following an explosion suspected to have been caused by methane gas shortly after 1 pm on Monday. 

Rescue operations remain in progress, with



specialised teams working in close coordination to locate and recover the remaining labourers, a state government official said.

"The Sikkim government, district administration, and all concerned agencies continue to closely monitor the situation, while extending every possible support to the rescue teams and the affected families," he said. "Out of the 25 trapped inside the tunnel, 20 are confirmed dead," Namchi SP Sonam D Bhutia had said on Tuesday.