Pipalkoti tunnel collapse: Death toll rises to 9, rescue operation continues

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], August 18 (ANI): The death toll in the THDC tunnel collapse at Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand rose to nine on Tuesday after rescuers retrieved the body of another missing worker, while the search for one remaining worker continued on a war footing, officials said.
According to the Chamoli District Magistrate, the body of one more missing worker was retrieved from the tunnel on Tuesday. The official said the search for the remaining missing worker was continuing on a war footing.
The accident occurred on August 13 at the under-construction THDC tunnel in Hat-Siyasain, Mayapur, Pipalkoti, after a landslide-like event near the Birhi River triggered a heavy surge of water and debris, trapping workers inside.
The official said rescue teams are carrying out intensive searches at possible locations inside the tunnel. Sludge and debris accumulated inside the tunnel are being continuously removed, while water is being drained using suction pumps and other equipment to facilitate the movement of rescue teams.
Teams from the district administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other concerned departments are coordinating the rescue operation.
The operation is being continuously monitored, with necessary resources and equipment being deployed at the site to expedite the search for the remaining missing worker.
Rescue teams are conducting searches at all possible locations inside the tunnel and making every effort to trace and reach the worker.
Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident and said the safety of personnel working on construction projects must be the "top priority at any cost".
The Chief Minister said the inquiry would establish the facts and determine the precautions required to prevent such incidents in the future.
Congress leader Harikrishna Bhatt, meanwhile, called for safety audits of ongoing projects, saying such audits should have been conducted after water and debris entered the tunnel.
"Regarding the announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh, a human life cannot be valued at merely Rs 4 lakh. Safety audits should have been conducted for all such ongoing projects," Bhatt told ANI. (ANI)