A police officer reported on Tuesday that a tunnel under construction collapsed in Sikkim's Namchi district after an explosion of suspected methane gas, killing at least 20 workers and trapping five others for more than 24 hours.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang declared that the next of kin of each worker who perished in the NHPC tunnel collapse would receive Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia, and each injured person would receive Rs 50,000.
Speaking with the chief minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assessed the situation and assured him of the central government's full support.
Additionally, the PM declared an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 for each injured individual and Rs 2 lakh for the deceased's nearest of kin.Just after 1 pm on Monday, up to 25 workers—including a few project officers—were stranded within the collapsed tunnel of the NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project near Samardung.Twenty of the twenty-five people trapped inside the tunnel have been confirmed deceased, according to Namchi Superintendent of Police (SP) Sonam D. Bhutia.
Twelve dead have been found during the search and rescue efforts being conducted by several agencies, she said.
As of right now, seven victims have been identified, and efforts are being made to identify the remaining bodies.
An NHPC statement claims that the explosion, which produced hazardous gasses and dense vapors, was caused by a sudden burst of suspected methane gas trapped or imbedded inside the rocks.The chief minister declared that a special committee would be established to investigate the methane gas explosion that caused the tunnel to collapse.
A special mine rescue team from neighboring West Bengal has arrived at the scene to support the ongoing search efforts for the workers trapped inside the tunnel, Tamang, who arrived at the accident site earlier in the day, informed media.
Governor Om Prakash Mathur and the chief minister went to the scene of the tragedy earlier in the day to evaluate the circumstances.
They communicated with the local authority and instructed them to take all necessary steps to guarantee the injured workers receive the greatest medical attention and assistance.They gave NHPC Chairman and Managing Director Bhupender Gupta instructions to make sure the victims receive compensation as soon as possible.
The Namchi district administration was instructed by the governor and chief minister to set up a specific system at Rangpo for the identification of the deceased and to make sure that every assistance is provided to the impacted families, especially those from other states, during this trying time.
In remembrance of the workers who perished in the tunnel collapse, the Sikkim Assembly conducted a two-minute silence.
The Chief Minister told the House that he has discussed the situation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.In order to evaluate the state of the continuing search and rescue efforts at the project, Chief Secretary Ravindra Telang presided over a high-level assessment meeting in Namchi with Director General of Police Akshay Sachdeva present.
The District Administration, rescue organizations, representatives from the West Bengal Administration, NHPC Ltd., and Patel Engineering Ltd., which is carrying out the tunnel's civil construction, were present at the meeting.
All agencies were instructed by the chief secretary to take all required actions to identify the dead employees.
Telang also thoroughly examined the rescue plan, emphasizing that careful use of the available oxygen supply is necessary to guarantee the operation's safe, effective, and continuous continuance.