Sikkim tunnel disaster: 22 bodies recovered; search and rescue ops continue for remaining victims
Rescue teams have recovered 22 bodies following a methane gas explosion at the Teesta-VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim. Operations are ongoing to locate the remaining missing workers under challenging conditions.
Why it matters
The incident highlights significant industrial safety concerns and the risks associated with large-scale infrastructure projects in sensitive geological regions.
Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 22 people killed in the “explosive release of suspected methane gas” in a headrace tunnel of the NHPC’s Teesta-VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim’s Namchi district on July 20.
Officials said the search and recovery operations for the remaining victims, estimated to be at least three, continue.
“A total of 22 bodies have been recovered so far,” Namchi’s District Magistrate Anupa Tamling told The Hindu on Thursday (July 23, 2026).
Officials said personnel of multiple agencies, including those specialising in coal-bearing areas, conducted operations until midnight on Wednesday under difficult conditions. A second rescue team from Eastern Coalfields Limited in West Bengal’s Asansol was also deployed after it reached the spot at around 10 p.m.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in