Chamoli tunnel accident: Another worker's body found, death toll reaches nine
The death toll from the accident—caused by a landslide that filled the tunnel with debris and water—has now reached nine, while one worker still remains missing
The bodies of two workers missing since a tunnel accident in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district were found on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, raising the death toll to ten, officials announced. This marks the end of a war footing search and rescue operation following the incident on August 13 in the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydroelectric project tunnel under construction.
The two identified victims were 31-year-old Lukas Topno from Jharkhand and 28-year-old Chetan Poyam from Chhattisgarh. The accident was caused by a landslide that submerged the tunnel with debris and water. Out of the 22 people inside the three-kilometer tunnel, 12 were rescued with injuries. The search and rescue mission, involving various agencies, had been ongoing for six days and concluded with the recovery of all bodies.
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