19 NHPC workers trapped as both tunnels of Uttarakhand's Dhauliganga project blocked

The path leading to the normal and emergency tunnels of the Dhauliganga power project in Ealagarh area near Dharchula here in the district was blocked due to a landslide caused by heavy rains.

Lucknow: Nineteen workers at the NHPC’s Dhauliganga Power Project in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district were trapped inside a tunnel after a landslide blocked the opening of the tunnel, according to the reports.

The workers were inside the tunnel when its opening was blocked following a landslide, reports said.

Eight workers were later brought out of the tunnel by the rescue team, while 11 are still trapped inside.

Sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Dharchula, Jitendra Verma said that heavy machines have been pressed into service to remove the debris and expressed hope that the remaining workers would be brought out later in the evening on Sunday.

Reports said that the landslide was caused by heavy rains and that the debris were still falling from the hills hampering rescue operations.

Verma said that all the workers were safe and that power generation from the plant was normal.

‘’There was enough food inside the tunnel for the workers and there is no cause for worry….the work of removing the debris was going on in full swing, he added.

Uttarakhand had been hit by a spate of landslides and cloudbursts in the past few days following heavy rains. A series of cloudbursts had hit several districts in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions in the state on Friday resulting in the death of five people while several others were reported missing.

Several roads in the state are blocked due to boulders rolling down from hills following landslides in many regions.