All 25 bodies of workers retrieved from Sikkim tunnel

Multiple agencies concluded their search and rescue operation after the bodies of all 25 workers trapped inside an under-construction tunnel of a hydropower project in Sikkim’s Namchi district were recovered by Thursday (July 23, 2026) evening.

“The bodies of all the 25 missing persons have been recovered. The search and rescue operation was subsequently concluded,” Namchi’s District Magistrate Anupa Tamling told The Hindu.

Editorial | Buried questions: On the Sikkim tunnel accident

According to the NHPC, 25 workers were about 1.5 km inside the tunnel when “sudden explosive release of suspected methane gas” caused an explosion at 1:04 p.m. on July 20. However, the Central PSU and the Sikkim government announced separate investigations into the cause of the accident.

Officials said the workers could have struck methane-embedded rocks and the sparks from the drilling inside could have caused an explosion, which partially damaged the head race tunnel of the 500 MW Teesta Stage-VI Hydropower Project.

Earlier, the NHPC announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The hydropower CPSU also said its top officials were present at the site, closely monitoring and coordinating the rescue operations with all agencies involved.