The bodies of 22 workers have been recovered from the under-construction NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project tunnel in Sikkim’s Namchi district, officials said. Rescue operations are still underway to locate three remaining workers who are yet to be found after the tunnel collapsed following a suspected methane gas explosion on Monday afternoon.
According to officials, 25 workers were inside the tunnel at the time of the incident. Specialised rescue teams, along with district authorities and concerned agencies, continue efforts to recover the remaining workers while providing support to the affected families.
Eight of the recovered bodies have been identified so far. Among them are workers from Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, along with individuals from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam and Sikkim. Officials also confirmed that workers from Jharkhand’s Khunti, Hazaribag and West Singhbhum districts were engaged at the project site.
Following the tragedy, NHPC announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased worker. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang also announced financial assistance of ₹4 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives and ₹50,000 for injured workers. The state government, district administration and rescue agencies continue to monitor the situation closely, with priority given to completing the search operation and supporting the families affected by the t
