Gopeshwar/Dehradun, Dec 31: At least 88 people were injured after two loco trains collided inside a tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Tuesday night, officials said.
The accident occurred around 8.30 pm inside the Pipalkoti tunnel, where one loco train carrying workers and officials for night-shift excavation collided with another train transporting construction material. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered that proper medical treatment be provided to all the injured.
Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said the incident took place at the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) site inside the tunnel being constructed by THDC (India). He said the workers’ train had travelled nearly two kilometres inside the tunnel when a loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and rammed into it.
DM Gaurav Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar visited the injured at the District Hospital in Gopeshwar. The district magistrate said 109 people were on board the train carrying workers, most of them labourers, at the time of the collision. He added that none of the injured was in critical condition.
According to officials, 70 injured labourers were taken to the Gopeshwar District Hospital, where 66 were discharged after first aid, while four remain under treatment. Another 18 labourers received first aid at Vivekananda Hospital in Pipalkoti and were later sent home.
Meanwhile, the Railways clarified that the trains involved in the incident were not part of the Indian Railways network. In a statement, the Railways said the accident involved trolley-like vehicles used locally for transportation during tunnel construction and had no connection with Indian Railways operations.
Officials said rail-like vehicles are commonly used inside tunnels to transport workers, staff and construction material. The Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, is designed to generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines and is targeted for completion next year. (Agencies)
