Seven workers killed in India tunnel accident

At least seven workers were killed and 13 injured after a landslide flooded a tunnel under construction in north India, officials reported on Friday. The accident took place late Thursday in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, where a state-run hydropower project was underway. While at least three workers remain missing, 19 others were rescued from the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation site, according to the State Disaster Management Authority.

Videos shared by local authorities depicted rescue teams using head-mounted torches and makeshift rafts to reach the submerged portion of the tunnel. Uttarakhand has recently experienced heavy monsoon rains. Construction accidents are not uncommon in India, but ecologists argue that excessive development projects have exacerbated disasters in the delicate Himalayan regions.

In a similar incident last month, 20 individuals working on a tunnel for another state-run hydroelectric project perished in the remote northeastern state of Sikkim. In 2023, 41 workers were rescued after being entombed for 17 days following a tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand. Since the onset of the monsoon season in June, hundreds of lives have been lost across the country due to floods and landslides.

Experts attribute the increased frequency, severity, and impact of these disasters to climate change and poorly planned development.