World
Sikkim: 10 dead and 17 missing after hydroelectric tunnel explosion in India
At least 10 people have been killed and 17 others remain missing after a tunnel collapsed during construction in Sikkim, northeastern India, on July 21, 2026. The accident occurred at Samardung on a 500-megawatt hydroelectric project on the Teesta River, operated by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), a state-owned hydroelectric utility in India. A gas explosion—likely methane trapped in the tunnel's rock—is believed to have caused the collapse. Rescue operations are being hampered by the presence of toxic gases in the tunnel.