Sikkim tunnel disaster: 22 bodies found; search and rescue operations continue for the remaining victims

Officials outside the NHPC tunnel in Sikkim’s Namchi district as search and rescue operations continue for workers trapped inside following the disaster | Photo credit: PTI

GUWAHATI

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of 22 people killed in an “explosive methane gas leak” in the main tunnel of the NHPC Teesta-VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim’s Namchi district on July 20.

Officials said search and rescue operations for the remaining victims, estimated to be at least three, were continuing.

“A total of 22 bodies have been recovered so far,” Namchi District Magistrate Anupa Tamling told The Hindu on Thursday (July 23, 2026).

Officials said workers from several agencies, including those specializing in coal fields, were conducting operations until midnight Wednesday under difficult conditions. A second rescue team from Eastern Coalfields Limited in Asansol, West Bengal was also deployed after reaching the site at around 10pm.

Earlier, the NHPC had announced an ex gratia payment of ₹ 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. CPSU Hydro also said its top officials were present at the site, closely monitoring and coordinating rescue operations with all agencies involved.

Published – 23 Jul 2026 10:57 IST