The Eastern Voice correspondent 

Sikkim. A catastrophic landslide and a methane gas explosion caused the entrance of an under-construction tunnel at the NHPC Teesta Stage-VI Hydroelectric Project in Sikkim’s Namchi district to collapse.

The disaster has claimed at least eight lives, while around 16 to 19 workers remain trapped about 1.5 to 3 kilometers inside the tunnel. Continuous heavy rainfall triggered rockfalls, which disturbed underground pockets of methane gas, leading to a sudden explosion and the collapse of the tunnel entrance.

Rescue operations, led by the NDRF, SDRF, and local authorities, are facing major challenges. Toxic gas buildup and extremely low oxygen levels inside the tunnel caused some early rescue workers to feel dizzy and lose consciousness. Specialized emergency teams from neighboring West Bengal, equipped with Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), have been deployed to safely enter the tunnel and reach the trapped workers.