Sikkim tunnel rescue operation concludes after four days with recovery of all 25 bodies

Gangtok: The four-day search and rescue operation at the collapsed under-construction tunnel of the NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim’s Namchi district concluded on Thursday after recovery teams retrieved all 25 workers and officials who had gone missing following the tragedy, officials said.

According to the Namchi district administration, three more bodies were recovered during the final phase of the operation on Thursday, taking the total number of bodies recovered to 25.

Following the recovery, rescue personnel carried out a detailed inspection of the tunnel and verified the records of all missing persons.

Officials confirmed that no worker remained trapped inside the tunnel, bringing the intensive search and recovery mission to an end.

The victims included employees and workers engaged by NHPC Limited, ARX and Patel Engineering Limited.

They hailed from ten states across the country. Of the deceased, 11 were from West Bengal, four from Jharkhand, two each from Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, and one each from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Punjab and Assam.

Authorities said all recovered bodies have been shifted to Singtam District Hospital, STNM Hospital at Sochakgang in Gangtok, Namchi District Hospital and the Central Referral Hospital (CRH), Manipal, for post-mortem examinations and other medico-legal formalities.

Bodies that have been identified have subsequently been handed over to their respective families.

The Sikkim government has constituted a high-level committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the tunnel incident.

The panel has been tasked with identifying the cause of the accident and recommending safety measures to prevent similar incidents during major infrastructure projects in the future.

The rescue operation was conducted under the overall supervision of the Namchi district administration with support from multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Mines Rescue Team of Eastern Coalfields Limited, Asansol, NHPC officials, Sikkim Police, Fire and Emergency Services, the Health and Family Welfare Department and other line departments.

The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) closely monitored the operation throughout.

With the completion of the operation on Thursday, the district administration expressed gratitude to all agencies and personnel involved, commending their coordinated efforts and dedication in carrying out the challenging search and recovery mission under difficult conditions.

IANS