Workers hurt in underground collision at Uttarakhand hydro project

Around 60 people were injured after two locomotive trains operating inside a tunnel at the Vishnugad–Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project collided in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, officials said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred late Tuesday evening during a shift change at the under-construction project site near Pipalkoti. The trains, used for ferrying workers, engineers and construction material within the tunnel, reportedly collided while moving along a single track inside the underground stretch.

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said that 109 people , mostly workers and project staff, were travelling on the train carrying personnel at the time of the incident. Nearly 60 sustained injuries , though all were rescued and none is in a critical condition , he said.

Officials said one locomotive was transporting workers and project officials, while the other was hauling construction material when the collision took place inside the tunnel of the project being executed by THDC (India) Limited. Such loco trains are routinely deployed in long underground tunnels to support construction activity.

Medical teams were immediately mobilised following the accident. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Chamoli said 10 injured workers were shifted to the district hospital in Gopeshwar, while 17 others were admitted to Vivekananda Hospital in Pipalkoti. The remaining injured were treated at the site or at nearby facilities, with officials stating that their condition is stable.

The collision triggered brief panic inside the tunnel, with workers attempting to move to safety in the confined underground space. Rescue and relief operations were swiftly carried out by project authorities with support from the local administration, officials said.

Early reports suggested that the accident may have occurred during the shift change, possibly due to an operational lapse or communication failure , though officials said a detailed investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the collision between the two project-specific trains.

The 444-megawatt Vishnugad–Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project , being developed on the Alaknanda River between Helang and Pipalkoti , is scheduled for completion next year and will generate power through four turbines, officials added.