At least seven workers have died and 13 others were injured after a landslide caused water and debris to surge into an under-construction tunnel in northern India.
The incident happened late Thursday at a hydropower project operated by the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation in Uttarakhand, according to officials.
The State Disaster Management Authority said 19 workers had been rescued from the site, while at least three others remained missing as rescue operations continued.
Footage released by local authorities showed rescue personnel wearing head-mounted torches and using makeshift rafts to navigate through the flooded section of the tunnel in search of trapped workers.
The Himalayan state has experienced heavy monsoon rainfall in recent days, raising the risk of landslides and flooding across several areas.
While accidents at major construction sites are relatively common in India, environmental experts have warned that extensive development activities in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region could be contributing to an increase in disasters.
The latest incident comes weeks after 20 people working on another state-run hydroelectric project were killed in a tunnel in Sikkim.
In 2023, 41 workers were rescued after spending 17 days trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand.
Floods and landslides have killed hundreds of people across India since the annual monsoon season began in June.
Experts have also linked the growing frequency and severity of such disasters to climate change and poorly planned development in vulnerable areas.
