Uttarakhand: 60 injured in train collision at Pipalkoti hydropower project

Around 60 workers were injured when two locomotive trains collided inside a tunnel at the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. All injured were rescued, and officials said their condition is stable

Chamoli: Around 60 people were injured when a locomotive train carrying workers and officials collided with another train transporting materials inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, officials said on Wednesday.

The accident took place late on Tuesday at the THDC hydroelectric project construction site in Pipalkoti during a shift change.

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According to initial information, two locomotive trains used to ferry workers and materials inside the tunnel rammed into each other, leaving a large number of people injured.

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said that a total of 109 people were on board the train carrying workers at the time of the accident, which occurred late in the evening, and around 60 of them sustained injuries.

He said that all those involved in the incident have been rescued and that the condition of all the injured persons is stable.

The District Magistrate explained that one locomotive train carrying workers and officials and another carrying construction material were moving on the single-track inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti project, being constructed by THDC (India), when the collision occurred.

He added that such locomotive trains are routinely used inside long tunnels for transporting workers, engineers, officials and construction material.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Chamoli said that 10 injured people have been shifted to the district hospital in Gopeshwar for treatment, while 17 others are being treated at Vivekananda Hospital in Pipalkoti.

He said the condition of the remaining injured persons is reported to be stable.

The impact of the collision triggered panic and screams inside the tunnel, leading to a chaotic situation as workers attempted to find their way out in the confined space.

After the incident was reported, teams from the project management and the local administration rushed to the spot and immediately launched relief and rescue operations.

The Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project is a 444-megawatt project being constructed on the Alaknanda River between Helang and Pipalkoti in Chamoli district.

The project is designed to generate 111 megawatts of electricity through four turbines and is targeted for completion by next year.