DEHRADUN: At least 88 people were injured late on Tuesday night after two loco trains collided inside a tunnel at the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) hydroelectric project site in Pipalkoti area of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, officials said.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
The accident occurred around 8.30 pm inside the 4.5-km-long tunnel when one loco train, used to transport workers and construction material, rammed into another train during a shift change. About 108 workers were travelling on the two trains at the time of the incident.
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured.
District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Panwar rushed to the district hospital in Gopeshwar to oversee medical arrangements. Officials said all the injured workers were in stable condition.
“The immediate focus was on medical care and ensuring there were no casualties,” Kumar said, adding that a high-level inquiry had been ordered to ascertain how both trains came onto the same track inside the tunnel.
The 444-MW hydroelectric project, located on the Alaknanda river, is scheduled for completion next year. Loco trains are a key mode of internal transport during tunnelling operations, carrying workers and construction material deep inside the mountain.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel.
The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
The incident has raised concerns over safety protocols at the project site, particularly during shift changes. Authorities said corrective measures would be implemented once the inquiry identifies lapses, and responsibility would be fixed accordingly. Further investigations are underway.