GUWAHATI, India, July 23 - The death toll from a blast at an under-construction hydroelectric project tunnel in India's northeastern state of Sikkim has risen to 22, as seven more bodies were recovered, the state government said on Thursday, according to infohub.kz.
The incident took place on Monday at state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corp Ltd's (NHPC) project on the Teesta river in the village of Samardung.
The explosion in the tunnel, suspected to have been caused by methane trapped in or released from rocks, filled it with dense fumes and toxic gases, trapping 25 workers and officials of NHPC.
"Rescue operations remain in progress, with specialised teams working in close coordination to locate and recover the remaining victims," the Sikkim state government said in a Facebook post. Authorities had earlier warned that the survival chances of those trapped were slim.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by mud and water built up inside the tunnel, as well as breathing issues due to the suspected gas leak. On Wednesday, NHPC said it would pay 500,000 Indian rupees ($5,178) in ex-gratia relief to the families of those killed. ($1 = 96.5600 Indian rupees)