At least nine people were killed and 15 others were reported missing in northern India after a tunnel under construction as part of a hydroelectric dam project collapsed, local authorities said Tuesday.
The accident occurred Monday afternoon in the Himalayan state of Sikkim, during ongoing construction work on the Teesta River, they said.
"We estimate that around 25 to 27 people were buried. Nine bodies have already been recovered," Rajiv Roka, the state's emergency management official, told AFP.
Initial findings indicate that the collapse was caused by an explosion. "We are not yet certain of the origin of the explosion," said Mr. Roka, "but it is probably of natural origin."
Rescue operations continued on Tuesday in conditions made difficult by the emissions of methane, a toxic gas, at the scene.
Accidents on construction sites are frequent in India.
In 2023, 41 workers were extracted after seventeen days of effort from a road tunnel under construction that had collapsed in the state of Uttarakhand (north).
Indian NGOs regularly denounce the ecological cost of major infrastructure projects undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out that they contribute to worsening the effects of floods and landslides.
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